


I'm Only Me When I'm with You

by Fearlesskiki



Series: Benni Bear [2]
Category: Football RPF, Real Person Fiction, Sports RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Falling In Love, Fluff, Hehehe, Love at First Sight, Love can make us do silly things, M/M, This ship is cute, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2015-10-03
Packaged: 2018-04-02 16:05:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4066138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fearlesskiki/pseuds/Fearlesskiki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Manuel Neuer is a hero in the eyes of many fans. But he is just a human like everybody else. He meets his love of his life, Benedikt Höwedes, whom he feels comfortable hanging out with.</p><p>The prequel (or you could say the extended version) of Life Starts After 6pm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hello, Benni Bear!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MissTrafalgarMeyer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissTrafalgarMeyer/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Life Starts After 6pm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3941275) by [Fearlesskiki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fearlesskiki/pseuds/Fearlesskiki). 



> For MissTrafalgarMeyer, who wanted a Benni/Manuel fiction, so here you go. =D
> 
> This is a story about my Benni/Manuel story Life starts after 6pm, but longer. I think it's better to read Life starts after 6pm to get a clearer picture =)
> 
> The Hömmels in the fic is just merely a bromance, not romance.
> 
> The title comes from the one and only Taylor Swift's song.
> 
> *Everything in this fiction is just a fandom and not related to the real people and brands stated in the fiction.*
> 
> Characters:  
> Manuel Neuer - A young goalkeeper of FC Schalke 04 and Germany National Team  
> Benedikt "Benni" Höwedes - A finance student studying in North Rhine-Westphalia University  
> Mats Hummels - Benni's roommate and coursemate  
> Philipp Lahm - Manuel's international teammate  
> Thomas Müller - Manuel's international teammate  
> Bastian Schweinsteiger - Manuel's international teammate  
> Lukas Podolski - Manuel's international teammate  
> Marco Reus - Mats and Benni's flatmate  
> Mario Götze - Mats and Benni's flatmate  
> Isabella (original character) - A famous singer that tries to have an affair with Manuel  
> Julian Draxler - Manuel's Schalke teammate  
> Lisa Wesseler - Benni's friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Manuel meets Benni

Manuel Neuer is a rising star of the National football team and Schalke 04. He is playing as a goalkeeper for both club and National team. At only the age of 22, he's already a regular on his team. Manuel is one of the players to watch in the next World Cup. He is regarded as a hero to many fans. But personally? He himself doesn't think that he's all that great, especially in his Adidas photo shoot today. Normally he would enjoy doing his extra curriculum but today is a different story. He knew he sucked in the photo shoot, but the people that surround him keep on praising him for no reason. The fakery annoys him up the wall. He feels like slapping the creative director because a) he speaks in this weird American high school girl accent with a ridiculously high pitch voice b) all his comments are ridiculously fake c) that man keeps on touching Manuel, making the goalkeeper feels very uncomfortable d) all of the above. But obviously, he can't slap the creative director. It's too unprofessional. The Schalke goalkeeper wishes that he could walk away from the photo shoot. But he can't do that either. These activities are in the contract. Breaching a contract involves millions of Euros and he can't afford to pay that amount. Especially since he just bought himself a new car.

 

Oh well, he just has to suck it up.

 

"Beautiful! Oh Manuel you totally rocked it!" said the creative director. "Oh, Manuel. You're the bomb!"

 

"Ugh... please stop this photo shoot..." the goalkeeper muttered to himself silently.

 

At the middle of the photo shoot, the creative director touches Manuel's chest on purpose once again, while adjusting the goalkeeper's pose. The director lingers around Manuel's chest, making the goalkeeper shivers. Manuel feels super uncomfortable with the act. The young goalkeeper even has thought about suing the creative director for sexual harassment. But he's not sure if he could win that case. So he drops the thought. Once again the director caresses Manuel and the Schalke star winces his eyes. _Ugh... Could you please stop touching me!_

 

After three hours of shooting, the photo shoot comes to an end. Manuel is glad that it finally ended. The crew starts to pack and clean up the set. The creative director comes up to Manuel and says

 

"Hey Manuel, let's have some coffee together."

 

"I'm sorry, I've already had plans the whole day," said Manuel in a rush tone. He quickly grabs his bag and walks away from the creative director. The Schalke star runs to his car, locks his door, and takes a deep breath. He looks around his surroundings to make sure the creative director isn't nearby. He starts to think about his next destination. The fact is, he has nowhere to go after this. He doesn't want to go home that early, and he is bored with his usual cafés. With no specific destination, Manuel starts the car engine anyway and drives to the Gelsenkirchen streets. He drives slowly to check out the shops nearby and hoping there will be a hidden gem in this small town. As he is driving, a café named _Meinem Kaffeehaus_  caught his eye. It is a small coffee shop with an authentic environment and a nice lighting. Manuel decides to park his car and head to this café. When he reaches the café, there is a nice coffee aroma, and the music is soothing too. The goalkeeper sniffs the nice coffee smell. Ahh... changing environment is a great idea after all.

 

Manuel finds himself a nice spot with a nice view facing the streets. A waitress comes over and Manuel orders a cup of tea. While waiting for his tea to arrive, the goalkeeper spends some me time by watching his surroundings. It is a small coffee shop with only a few wooden tables and chairs. It is quiet as it has only a few customers. Manuel could see people walking by, chatting and laughing from his seat. The birds are chirping loudly.  _It is a peaceful day indeed._  When the tea arrives, he takes a sip from the cup. The tea tastes stale. Manuel sticks his tongue out. Bleh.  _Note to self: Never order tea at this café again._  

 

After sitting for a while, Manuel decides to pay the bill and leaves the café. As he takes out his wallet, he spots a blond hair man passing by his table, and he draws Manuel's attention. The young man is wearing a white shirt and dark brown pants. From his dress code, he is probably one of the staffs here. Judging by his looks, the young man is probably 18-20 years old. He has a pair of sweetest eyes that Manuel has ever seen, and a smile that makes the goalkeeper tingling.  _Well, hello there cutie pie!_ It seems like there's still hope in this café after all.

 

Manuel raises his hand to signal the young man over. The young man comes over with a bright smile on his face. The young man shifts his body from side to side, looking nervous. Both men look at each other for a while with smiles on their faces, until the young man clears his throat and starts to say with a shy and sweet voice

 

"How can I help you, sir?"

 

"Can I have a cup of hot chocolate?" Manuel answered. 

 

"Don't order hot chocolate. The hot chocolate here is bad." the young man whispered to Manuel. "And don't order tea either."

 

"Erm... How about espresso?" said Manuel after flipping through the menu several times.

 

"Good choice, sir." the young man answered with a smile before heading to the counter. Manuel loves that young man's eyes. _Angel eyes. 1 point. Sweet voice. 1 point. Sunshine smile. 1 point. Nice guy. 1+1 point._  He wishes to talk to this young man more often. But the question is how? 

 

Manuel taps his fingers on the table, uses all his brain juices to come out a plan. He smirks when he figured out a brilliant plan. The goalkeeper opens his camera application from his phone and pretends to take a selfie. He is actually eying at the young man through the screen. A few minutes after Manuel had his order, the young man takes a cup of coffee, coming towards his direction from behind. Manuel gets himself ready. Drei, zwei, eins,[1] go! He grabs his phone, gets up from his seat and turns around. 

 

*clash*

 

Perfect. Manuel had intended to bump into the young man, and his plan has succeeded. The young man felt sorry for bumping into Manuel, he keeps apologizing and wiping Manuel's shirt with a damp cloth. Manuel stops the young man from wiping his shirt. He takes the cloth from the young man and wipes it himself. This moment, the manager comes over to the scene. The manager starts yelling at the young man for making such a careless mistake. Manuel felt bad for the young man. _Oh no, what have I done?_  He didn't foresee the poor guy could get into trouble because of something he did on purpose. He must save the young man. The goalkeeper jumps in and says

 

"Sorry, it's my fault. I'll pay for the coffee."

 

The manager looks at Manuel, says sorry and walks away. Phew, thank goodness the manager buys his reason. Manuel continues to wipe his white shirt. The coffee stain doesn't seem to come off from the shirt, and Manuel starts to regret about his stupid little plan. The young man says

 

"Try using vinegar, or egg yolk with warm water."

 

"Thanks for the tip," Manuel replied. He wanted to say the man's name, but the name has slipped through his mind. The manager had mentioned it just now, but damn, he couldn't remember it. This is embarrassing.  _What is his name?_ He takes a look at the little name tag on the young man's shirt. It says _Benni_.

 

"Benni." Manuel continues.

 

Manuel doesn't know what to do next. Well, he didn't plan long enough. He only planned the spill coffee stunt but didn't plan anything beyond that. The Schalke star starts to feel a little bit nervous. Suddenly, there's a voice calling out his name.

 

"Manuel! Manuel! Are you Manuel Neuer?"

 

The one that is calling Manuel turns out to be a cute little girl. She's around 13 years old, wearing a pink dress and has these cute little pigtail braids. Her eyes are glowing when she sees him. The little girl asks for a photograph with the goalkeeper. Well, to be honest, Manuel isn't in his best form. He just had spilled coffee on his shirt. But it's too hard to turn down a request from such a cute little girl, especially since Manuel loves kids. So, he agrees to the fan request. The little girl asks Benni to be their photographer. As the little girl hands her smartphone to this Benni guy, Manuel spots a blue Schalke wristband on Benni's wrist. The Schalke goalkeeper smiles when he sees that.  _Schalke fan? 5 points._

 

"You're a Schalke fan too?" asked Manuel. 

 

"Ja![2[" Benni replied with a smile.

 

After taking the photo, Benni gives back the phone to the little girl. He looks at the happy girl walks back to her seat, but the young man himself doesn't look too happy. Manuel looks at the younger man. He thought that maybe he could offer himself for a photograph. This is probably the only thing he could do to ease the young man's day. Well, he already had a picture taken with a coffee stain shirt. Having another one doesn't make much difference anyway. So he says

 

"Benni, do you want a photo too?" 

 

"Well... yes, of course. I'm honoured," said Benni with a sunshine smile. He takes out his phone and takes a selfie with Manuel. After taking the photo, Benni continues to work. 

 

Manuel goes back to his seat and stares at Benni while the younger man serves the other customers. Then, Manuel looks at his table. He sees a stack feedback forms sitting on the table. So he takes a piece of the feedback form and a pencil and writes down his compliment to this young man named Benni.

 

_Huge comp_

 

"Is it a K or a C? Hmm..." Manuel thinks to himself. He takes out his phone and types the word compliment. It is indeed a C. Manuel smiles as he continues to write with that little piece of paper.

 

_Huge compliments to your staff Benni, who is very helpful to the customers. And he always smiles :)_

_\- Manuel_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Drei, zwei, eins - "three, two, one" in German  
> [2] Ja - "yes" in German
> 
> "Is it a K or a C?" A lot of English words that starts with a C starts with K in German. I guess people who know multiple languages faces this problem because sometimes the words are similar. Sometimes I'm like that too :P


	2. You're Cute, Benni Bear!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Manuel came back to see Benni.

"Mats, I've met Manuel Neuer." Benni nudges his roommate.

 

"Okay." Mats replied as he continues to read his magazine. He seemed disinterested with Benni's story.

 

"Mats, I've met Manuel Neuer." said Benni again.

 

"OKAY, and?" said Mats as he is slightly annoyed by his blond roommate. Mats is a Dortmund fan and he's very passionate about his team. It cringes Mats whenever Benni gushes about the Schalke team.

 

"Well, I spill coffee on him." said Benni with a sad tone.

 

"Interesting. I should have been there to witness." Mats replied with a grin. He stops reading his magazine and starts to look at Benni. Today's story is by far the best one he heard from Benni. It wasn't the usual "Schalke is great, best team ever", "I love Schalke" talk.

 

"Mats, it's not funny. He might send a complaint letter to the manager." Benni continues.

 

"It's funny because the coffee is spilt on a Schalke player. And it's double the humour when you're the one who did it," said Mats as he teases Benni.

 

"I'm serious, Mats," Benni said in a serious tone. He glares at his roommate.

 

"Okay, okay, serious talk. The man has money that could buy a thousand shirts. Well, don't worry about that. Did he scold you or anything?" said Mats.

 

"Well, no. In fact, he asked me if I would want a photo taken with him." Benni replied. To think about it, he's quite confused with Manuel's response that evening.

 

"See? I told you that it's fine. Don't worry, Benni boy!" Mats responded with a grin and pats Benni's head.

 

***

 

Manuel came back to the café after two days with excitement, hoping to see Benni once again. He arrives the café and sits at the same table as the last time, hoping that Benni is able to spot him. But to be honest, Manuel is a tall guy. He's 1.93 m and it's not that hard to spot him. He looks around the café, but Benni is nowhere to be found. The goalkeeper stops one of the waiter and asks

 

"Hey, is Benni here?"

 

"I'm sorry, Benni isn't working today." the waiter answered.

 

"Okay, thanks," Manuel replied. He sighed, and felt disappointed going back home without meeting Benni. But the Schalke goalkeeper is not ready to give up just yet. He still wants to know more about Benni, because this young man is quite different to other people who he encountered. He just felt that there is something special about Benni that attracts him. He came back to the café after three days from his last attempt, and again sitting at the same table. As soon as he sits on the chair, one of the waitresses approaches him and says

 

"May I help you?"

 

"Erm... I'm waiting for a friend." Manuel replied with a smile. It was a lie. Manuel isn't waiting for anyone. He just came here to see Benni. The waitress walks away after hearing Manuel's reply. Manuel then spots Benni serving a cup of coffee to another customer. The young man turns around after serving the coffee and he sees Manuel. He smiles to Manuel and approaches the goalkeeper with a menu in his hand. He hands the menu to Manuel.

 

"Möchten Sie gerne einen Kaffee haben[1], Herr[2] Neuer?" asked Benni.

 

"Sie[3]?" Manuel chuckles. "I don't think I'm that old compared to you. And you can call me Manuel, or Manu."

 

"Okay, Herr... Oops, I mean Manuel." Benni replied sheepishly.

 

"Cappuccino, bitte[4]," Manuel replied and hands back the menu to Benni.

 

"One Cappuccino coming right up!" said Benni with a bright smile. As soon as Benni walks away, Manuel starts to think of a plan to ask Benni out. He taps his fingers on the table, trying to come out a plan. He sees a coffee stain on the table and that sparks him. Aha! He could use the coffee stain shirt as an excuse. Few minutes later Benni came back to Manuel's table with a cup of cappuccino. Manuel looks at him, trying to look cool and says

 

"Benni, do you have any plans after work?"

 

"Huh?" the confused Benni responded.

 

"I need you to pick a shirt for me. You still owe me a shirt, you know," said Manuel. He hopes that this lame excuse would do the trick. But Benni still stood there, didn't give any response. Manuel looks at Benni with his big blue eyes, waiting for an answer.

 

"Erm... No. I have no plans. But I still have an hour to go before my shift ends." Benni replied after clearing his throat.

 

"Okay. I'll wait for you." Manuel responded. "Oh, do you have any recommendations for cakes?"

 

"Hmm... Cappuccino goes well with chocolate cake, cheesecake and tiramisù." Benni replied.

 

"I see. One chocolate cake please!" said Manuel with a smile.

 

Manuel spends the hour enjoying his cappuccino and chocolate cake while waiting for Benni's shift to end. He occasionally secretly looks at Benni working and serving the customers. He really likes Benni's smile. Manuel swears that Benni looks a lot cuter than the last time he saw him. He could stare at Benni the whole day if he is allowed to do so. He starts to have some dirty thoughts in his mind, thoughts of Benni and himself kissing. He smirks. Then he realised a young girl looks at him with an uncomfortable expression. Manuel stops smirking and quickly shoves a spoonful of chocolate cake in his mouth. He lowers his head, faces the plate of chocolate cake. He tries hard not to make any eye contact with the girl and prays that the girl won't put her attention into him again. An hour passes by, and Benni's shift finally ended. The young man comes out with his bag to Manuel's table and says

 

"Auf gehts![5]"

 

Manuel smiles to Benni and brings him to his Volkswagen which is parked nearby the café. It's a two week ago car, and it still has that new car scent. Benni sits on the passenger seat while Manuel is on the driver's seat. Manuel starts the car engine. Benni starts the conversation with a nice compliment.

 

"You're an amazing goalkeeper. I like watching you play." 

 

"Well, I still have a lot to prove," Manuel replied. He blushes to Benni's compliment and gives back a compliment. "You know a lot of your work too!"

 

"Well, not really. I still have a lot to learn." Benni replied. Both men have smiles on their faces. Benni's continues to talk about his background. He's a 2nd-year finance student studying in North Rhine-Westphalia University. He's the youngest in his family, and he has 2 older brothers. Benni is currently living in an apartment nearby his University with a guy named Mats. Manuel then talks about his background too, but Benni already knew about most of them. Everything seems to be fine until Benni pops a question out of nowhere. 

 

"Uhm... do you mind if I ask a question?"

 

"It's okay. What is it?" Manuel responded.

 

"Do you always drink alone?" the younger man asked.

 

"Well, yes. I like to gather some thoughts alone sometimes, and stay away from the football world." Manuel answered. "Football can be crazy sometimes."

 

Indeed. Football can be crazy sometimes. You'll never know what the future might bring. Especially in the goalkeeping world, you have to stand out from the rest to keep your position. In Germany, there were never short of goalkeepers. In fact, Germany produces the best goalkeepers in the world such as Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehmann. You have to be the best. There is no second best in goalkeeping because unlike outfield positions, there is only one position in the starting 11. Be the best or stay on the bench. And football can also be dangerous. You'll never know when you could get injured. You might get a huge injury in one game and it might be the end of your career. Not to mention that footballers are famous people. One stupid sentence or one stupid action will give the media some ideas to twist your facts.

 

Manuel and Benni reach their destination after a few minutes. Manuel brings Benni to the Hugo Boss shop. He glances to Benni and he can sense that the young man is feeling very nervous. Manuel walks into the shop and is greeted by the staffs while Benni follows him. Manuel goes to the shirt section and begins to browse through the shirts. He picks out the ugliest shirt that he could find in the shop, just to test if Benni will tell the truth or not. Ever since Manuel has become a little popular, people have been giving him phony compliments so he is hoping that this Benni guy isn't one of them. He picks out the white shirt and asks Benni.

 

"What do you think about this one?"

 

"Hmm... it looks old on you," said Benni. Manuel was shocked hearing that, but at the same time, he likes Benni's honesty. _Honest? 1 point._  Manuel smiles. The young man then picks out a nice grey shirt for Manuel. Manuel already likes the shirt when Benni hands it to him. Benni says

 

"Here, try this. I think it will look good on you."

 

The goalkeeper smiles to Benni and then goes to the dressing room to try out the shirt. He adjusts the collar and poses a few James Bond moves in front of the mirror, trying to look cool. The goalkeeper loves the shirt very much. He feels really comfortable and smart the moment he puts on the shirt.  _Hmm... he has a great taste. 1 point. And he knows my size. 1 point._ Manuel comes out from the dressing room, does a little catwalk to impress Benni. Benni drops the two shirts that he was holding, and his mouth opens wide.

 

"It fits perfectly. How do you know my size?" asked Manuel. He buttons one of the wrist buttons.

 

"Erm... it's just a wild guess." Benni replied. He then realised that he dropped the shirts. The young man quickly grabs the shirts up from the floor. He puts them away and takes identical shirts from the rack and passes them to Manuel. Manuel looks at Benni. He is still waiting for Benni's answer.

 

"Well, you haven't told me how I look." said Manuel.

 

"You look stunning!" Benni replied with a smile.

 

"Thank you," Manuel replied with a smile too. Benni hands him a new shirt and he walks back to the dressing room to try out the second shirt. He removes the first shirt and puts on the second shirt. It's nice too. But Manuel still prefers the first one. Like the first shirt, he poses in front of the mirror, trying to look cool. Then, he heard some unusual sounds from outside, so the goalkeeper comes out from the dressing room. As soon as he comes out, he saw a choking Benni. Good thing Manuel has learnt some simple first aid from his club's physician. Without further hesitation, he ran towards the Benni and performs back blows and abdominal thrusts until the mint pops out from Benni's throat. One of the staffs hands a cup of water to Benni. The young man coughs a few times and then sips the water from the cup.

 

"Are you alright?" asked Manuel in concern. He calms the young man by stroking his back. Although Benni's accident wasn't directly related to himself, but he felt bad that Benni is in pain because of his shopping trip. "Let's do this another time. Come, I'll send you home." 

 

"No, no, don't mind me," said Benni as he waves his hands excessively. He took a few breaths and continues "I prefer the first one."

 

"Me too. The first one it is." Manuel grins. He shakes his head in disbelief. This guy is still concern about his shirt even though the young man himself has nearly died from choking. Manuel is going to pay for the shirt, but Benni grabs his arm. The taller man looks at Benni. Benni whispers to Manuel's ear.

 

"I'm sorry. I didn't bring enough money today."

 

"Hahaha..." Manuel begins to laugh hysterically. "I don't expect a student to pay for my shirt, silly. Oh Benni, you never cease to amaze me."

 

Manuel and Benni both head to the counter to pay for the shirt. Manuel takes out his wallet to pay the shirt with his card. He saw Benni staring at the shirt with the corner of his eye. He whispers to Benni's left ear. "Well, I usually shop at Primark[6], but I have a gala to attend to in next two weeks. I need to buy something presentable." 

 

Benni starts to smile again. Manuel is relieved to see his smile. Both men left the store together with a nice grey shirt and hop onto Manuel's car. Manuel offers to send Benni home, as a sign of thanking the young man for helping him choosing a shirt. It is a long journey home as there is a long traffic due to after office hours. Benni is quiet throughout the whole journey, but soon he falls asleep after few minutes. Manuel glances at him, secretly smiling. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Möchten Sie gerne einen Kaffee haben - "Would you like to have a cup of coffee" in German  
> [2] Herr - "Mr" in German  
> [3] Sie - formal "you" in German  
> [4] Bitte - "please" in German  
> [5] Auf gehts "let's go" in German  
> [6] Primark - A famous Irish clothing retailer selling affordable clothes
> 
> I'm actually quite nervous when I wrote this because I haven't received any comments yet. But I see there are some likes from readers in Life starts after 6pm so I guess I shouldn't be worrying.
> 
> As you can see some of the story is overlapped with Life starts after 6pm, because this is the prequel. But next chapter is a totally new story line so hopefully it would be better.
> 
> Thanks to everyone that supports my work. You all are amazing. If my stories have made you happy, I feel accomplished as a human being. Thank you, you all are my MVPs =D


	3. Hi Benni Bear, I'm Not Manuel!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Manuel gets to know more about Benni through the social network.

"Mats, I met Manuel again." said Benni.

 

"Did you spill coffee on him again?" Mats teased him.

 

"I'm not Mr Bean, okay?" Benni shot back with sarcasm. He then continues "He seems pretty normal, though."

 

"Well, what do you think he is like? Superman that drives in a Batmobile?" Mats asked with a snark.

 

"I mean I thought he would have driven a Mercedes, but no. He drives a Volkswagen. And he still buys clothes from Primark." Benni explained.

 

"Hmm... interessant.[1]" Mats replied.

 

***

 

"Ducky! Help! Help!"

 

Manuel heard an intense squeal coming from the back. He recognised this voice. It is his international teammate Thomas Müller's voice. The Germany goalkeeper turns around and sees Thomas running towards his way and then hides behind him. Clinging to his teammate, the midfielder peeks through the 1.93m goalkeeper's back to see if anyone followed him. 

 

"What going on?" asked the clueless Manuel.

 

"Lukas and Basti are going to throw me into the pool!" Thomas said after catching his breath. By the looks of his younger teammate, the guy must have been running for quite a while.

 

"And what did you do this time?" asked Manuel with a raised eyebrow. Thomas is known as one of the pranksters in the team. He knows Thomas probably did some mischief to trigger Bastian and Lukas to do something like this.

 

"Well, I just took a picture of them snuggling. You know, we all snap sleeping photos of each other, right? Well, Bastian noticed that I've taken their photo and became so furious. And then they were so overreacting about it. I swear they are in love." Thomas whispers to Manuel's ear.

 

"So what if they are?" asked Manuel.

 

"Well, duh. They should come out of the closet if they are! I'm going to send you the photo before they delete the evidence." Thomas continues. "They were so determined to get that photo, chasing me for few kilometers for it. You should see Bastian's eyes. He looks like he wants to eat me alive." Before Manuel could tell him not to exaggerate stuff again, he heard somebody call Thomas' name.

 

"Thomas Müller!!!" 

 

It is Bastian and Lukas shouting from afar. They are chasing Thomas for that photo. Thomas squeals and hides behind Manuel. When the two guys reached the destination, pants hard before they start to talk.

 

"Manu, hand him over." said Bastian with a furious tone.

 

"No. I'm not letting you guys throw him into the pool." said Manuel with a firm tone and hands on his hips.

 

"But you know what he did, right?" asked Bastian.

 

"Yes." Manuel replied and he glances Thomas before turning back to the guys. "If I delete that photo, would you guys drop it?"

 

Bastian and Lukas look at each other and then turn back to Manuel, reply in a synchronized tone "Deal."

 

"Phone," said Manuel as he signals Thomas for the later's phone. Although Thomas is unwilling to surrender his phone, he still did as he told because it is the only option now. Manuel takes Thomas' phone and deletes the photo in front of Bastian and Lukas. The older guys walk away after witnessing the photo deleted. The cheeky Thomas grins after the guys left. His teammate Manuel stares at him.

 

"Now, send me back the photo," said Thomas to Manuel. The goalkeeper shakes his head while still smiling. He sends back the photo to Thomas. 

 

After receiving the photo, Thomas then opens his social networking sites to check the latest gossips. The Bavarian boy loves reading stuff from the news, social media, forums, etc. He likes to keep himself updated and most importantly having new topics to talk about. Not only he reads stuff about himself, Thomas loves to read about stuff about his teammates too. And one of them is Manuel.

 

"Manu, you have to see this! It's hilarious." Thomas exclaimed as he sees an edited picture of Manuel.

 

Unlike Thomas, Manuel doesn't read many gossips. He doesn't need to. He has his personal radio Thomas Müller to tell him everything he needed. Thomas would tell him everything. The latest news and gossips around the world from transfer news, world news, dating gossips... And today is no exception.

 

"It's this Bennuel guy again. He always posts these funny shits." Thomas shows his phone to Manuel. It's a four panel comic of Manuel as a superman edited by a fan with a pseudo name Bennuel. Manuel enjoys looking at these fans made gifs, pictures, songs, fictions, etc. He thinks the fans are creative and he appreciates them. Sometimes he would even share them on his Facebook page.

 

Bennuel? This name sounds familiar. It does because it wasn't the first time Manuel saw his artworks. Manuel likes the stuff made by Bennuel because the later always comes up with really creative artworks and memes. It always stands out from the rest because it's very original. This guy is actually quite popular in the Manuel Neuer fandom. Manuel takes a sip of water and continues to scroll down the page until he sees a photo of someone familiar with a hashtag selfie Friday. He literary chokes himself when he sees that photo. The goalkeeper coughs a few times before looking back at the screen to check if his eyes are playing pranks on him. But Manuel's eyes are perfectly normal as the screen still shows the same person. It's that cutie from Meinem Kaffeehaus. This Bennuel guy is Benni. Well, well, talking about coincidence. Manuel grins as he comes out with an idea. Maybe he could get to know more about Benni through the internet. 

 

***

 

"[People Fall in Love in Mysterious Ways](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3637440?view_full_work=true)? Is this another one of your fantasy fan fictions with Manuel Neuer again?" Mats said as he rolled his eyes after checking out Benni's computer.

 

"Yes, it is. So?" Benni replied back.

 

"Do you actually believes that Manuel Neuer will fall in love with you? Wake up! You're just one of his million fans." Mats answered. Sometimes he couldn't believe that he is actually a friend of this guy who always acts like a 12-year-old. Benni is 20 now, but he still believes in fairy tales. Maybe that's why he still haven't got a girlfriend or boyfriend until this age. He's probably still waiting for a Manuel Neuer prince, which doesn't always happen in real life.

 

"Get out," said the annoyed Benni. He throws a pillow towards Mats. Mats managed to dodge the pillow. Benni knows very well that Manuel wouldn't be interested in an ordinary student like him. The previous meetings are probably due to luck. He probably won't able to meet Manuel again. And Manuel probably won't remember him after this. It will only become one of his sweetest memories that he will never forget. But it wouldn't hurt to fantasize his idol once in a while, right?

 

"Erm, hello, this is my room too?" Mats shot back.

 

"Well... just mind your own business," Benni replied with a grunt.

 

"You're a weirdo." Mats continues.

 

"And you're a friend of a weirdo. That makes you one too! Birds of a feather flock together." Benni puts his hands on hips and sticks his tongue out. He ignores Mats' teasing and continues to write his fiction.

 

Benni is quite popular in the internet world, especially in the Manuel Neuer fandom. He writes blogs and update things about Manuel in the blog. He also loves to make artworks of Manuel. The University student has people sending him messages every day, mostly asking questions about Manuel. He also gets to befriend people from other countries that share the same passion for him. Sometimes he would translate articles for the non-German fans. If there are people asking him about the German language, he would gladly help them to learn the language too. 

 

Benni checks his messages from his blog. Today he received a message from by the username ducky-is-me. This username looks foreign to him. It is probably the first time Benni receives a message from this username.

 

_ducky-is-me: Hi, I love your artwork and edits. Thank you for making them =D_

 

Benni always loves to receive compliments from people. He shrugs whenever someone sends him one. The student replies the message

 

_bennuel: Hi there! Thank you for your compliments! Ily <3_

_ducky-is-me: May I ask what does your username mean?_

_bennuel: It's a combination of my name and Manuel's :D_

_ducky-is-me: Ooo... that's cute! =D_

_bennuel: What's your name?_

 

It took a while for the user ducky-is-me to respond this time. The person behind this username, Manuel paused when he sees that question. He can't flat out tell Benni that he's Manuel. Although he isn't as famous as Cristiano Ronaldo, he's still a public exposed person. God knows what Benni would do. The guy might get carried away and tell the whole fandom about him and everyone will start to bombard him with messages. By the time, he couldn't even talk to Benni. So the safest thing to do is lie about his own identity. He hopes Benni could understand his concerns if he has to come clean one day.

 

_ducky-is-me: I'm Mandy, 22. And you?_

_bennuel: I'm Benni, 22 as well._

 

"Liar," said Manuel as he types the next sentence. Benni just told him that he's 20 few days ago. But of course, the goalkeeper doesn't want to burst the bubble yet. He wants to see how far this could go.

 

Benni might have lied about his age. People have been saying he's immature so he wanted to feel more mature by lying his age. But lying about age is harmless, right? There are far worse things that people lied on the internet. And it's not that he will meet this ducky-is-me in person anyway. What are the odds of the person meeting him? Benni has never met any of his internet friends before. And it's best to stay that way, even though they clicked right after a short conversation. Benni just felt there's something special about ducky-is-me. He just felt that Mandy a.k.a. ducky-is-me will be a good friend, somebody he could treasure for a long time.

 

_bennuel: I dig you! Let's be friends =)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] interessant - "interesting" in German
> 
> Finally getting back to this story after almost a month. I've written some one-shots, hope you enjoy those as well.
> 
> Lying about stuff on the internet... well, guess we all done that, right? One day they'll need to come clean about it.
> 
> And you wonder why I link People Fall in Love in Mysterious Ways with this story... well, it's actually a not so obvious hint.


	4. I Guess It's a Date, Benni Bear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Manuel takes Benni out for a date.

The music is already ear-splitting as soon as the youngsters Marco, Mario, Mats, and Benedikt arrive the night club. Every beat is pounding hard, causing the dance floor to vibrate. They were told that a new place in town has opened. And as youngsters, the guys wouldn't want to pass the chance. Well, actually only the three of them wanted to come. Mats dragged Benni here. Benni wanted to stay at home and have an online chat with his new friend Mandy a.k.a. ducky-is-me. Benni used to like night clubs too, but lately he prefers to stay at home. When he's not at home, he would spend most of his time on the phone. Sometimes Mats would find it annoying and confiscate his phone so that he could have a proper conversation with his friends.

 

"This place rocks!" said Mario. The petite guy scans through the nightclub to check out the beautiful ladies. He's in luck today, as there seems to be a number of hot chicks on the dance floor. The young man grins. He left his friends and walks towards a group of ladies. He flicks his hair to the ladies, and they seem to be impressed.

 

"You should come out more often. Go out and meet real people. You spent too much time dating with your laptop." said Mats to Benni.

 

"My internet friends are real people too. They are just not physically here." Benni replied with a snort. He takes out his phone and starts to chat with Mandy. Mats snatches his phone away and wiggles a finger towards him. "No. No phones tonight, Mr Benedikt Höwedes."

 

Benni frowns. He looks like a lost boy without his phone. He looks around the room and sighs. The neon lights are flashing, making his eyes uncomfortable. Benni isn't in the mood to talk or dance with strangers right now. With nothing to do, he heads over to the bar and gets himself a bottle of beer. Mats whispers an inaudible voice to Marco and both guys start laughing. 

 

Benni takes a sip from the bottle of beer and just enjoy the music. It didn't take long for Benni to get into the rhythm of the music. As soon as he immersed himself into the music, his dance moves just come out naturally. Maybe Mats is right. He should go out and let loose more often. He even shuffles when the DJ plays the song Party Rock Anthem. A couple of girls decided to join him for a dance too. Everything was fine until a random stranger decides to grope his buttock. Benni let out a squeal, but it didn't cause a scene as the music has overpowered his voice. Feeling disgusted, he runs over to find Mats. 

 

"Mats, can we go home now?" said Benni with a frown as soon as he found Mats. 

 

"Why? The night is still young." Mats answered casually. The dark hair man is still dancing when he answers Benni's question.

 

"That guy just groped my butt." Benni answered.

 

"What?" asked Mats. He couldn't hear what Benni told him. The music is too loud to even catch a sentence.

 

"That guy just groped my butt." Benni repeated in a louder voice. 

 

"What?" asked Mats again. This time, he actually did hear what Benni said, but pretends that he didn't. Just another reason to tease his best friend.

 

"I SAID THAT GUY JUST GROPED MY BUTT!" Benni shouted. Mats burst into laughter as soon as he heard it. A few strangers look at Benni and secretly giggle. Benni just wants to bury himself in a hole right now. 

 

"Mats, can we just leave? Please? I beg you." Benni pleas to Mats by tugging his shirt.

 

"Okay, Benni boy. We'll go home. But first we need to find the other two." said Mats. He puts his arm on Benni's shoulder to comfort his best friend. Mats turns his head left and right to find Marco and Mario. Suddenly, he felt a weight on his back. It is Marco. The young man looks very drunk right now. The blond undercut hair guy couldn't even stand properly by his own. He clutches Mats' waist and murmurs

 

"I love you."

 

Mats raises his eyebrow, then switch his eyesight to Benni. "Okay, we've found one."

 

"Oh, Mario is there." Benni said as he points to the right. Mario is chatting with a brunette hair lady. The guys head over to Mario's direction and together they left the nightclub by walking back to their apartment. 

 

***

 

The next day, Benni works at the café after his Accounting class as usual with a pleasant attitude. A familiar face signals him over. It's Manuel. Benni blushes as soon as he sees Manuel. It's been 3 weeks since their last meeting. He never thought he could ever see Manuel again after the shirt incident. Not in normal circumstances, at least. But he is glad to see his idol again. Maybe he really likes the coffee here.

 

Manuel decides to meet Benni once again. His feelings towards the University student grew stronger after two weeks of online heart sharing conversations. He really likes Benni a lot. He's cute, nice, funny and he loves football. The Schalke star is madly in love with him. He just hopes Benni feels the same way too. Manuel has come out a new plan today. He purposely orders Nutella, which is something that he knew isn't in the menu. Benni is confused by his order. The younger man politely informs him that there's no Nutella in the menu. Manuel continues with the "Where can I get some?" question and Benni suggests Aldi[1]. Manuel pretends to be unfamiliar with this area, and he asks Benni for directions to the store. Benni decides to bring the Schalke star to Aldi after work instead because he wanted to get some stuff too. The food in his apartment is close to empty, but the other boys didn't bother to stock up until everything is finished. Benni is always the one who stock up the groceries. 

 

Manuel and Benni meet up after Benni's shift, and together they walk to Aldi as it is just around the corner. Benni couldn't stop staring and smiling at Manuel. It's probably because Manuel has his best shirt today. And he just got a haircut two days ago. Manuel is wearing a new shirt today, as he is planning to bring Benni for a fancy dinner after this. Benni, on the other hand, is just wearing a T-shirt and jeans. It is his normal attire. Manuel blushes as he sees Benni's expression. He swears Benni looks more handsome than his previous meetings. The two men just grin like idiots without saying anything until they reach Aldi.

 

Benni brings Manuel to the condiments section and together they search for Nutella. Manuel scans through the shelve and spots Nutella. He stretches his hand to get one and brushes Benni's hand along the process. Both men back their hands off from the shelf. Manuel's heart is pounding really hard. He swears he could listen to his own heartbeat. He glances to Benni, who is still standing there like a stone. To make the situation less awkward, Manuel grabs 3 jars of Nutella from the shelf and chucks them in the basket. He also found out a funny fact about Benni. The student never tried Nutella before. Manuel laughs at him because the Schalke star never knew anyone from Germany that never tried Nutella before. This is definitely a first.

 

Both of them continue to shop for Benni's groceries. Manuel gets to learn a lot about Benni during this supermarket trip. He found out that Benni doesn't like fish and other seafood. He also found out that Benni is an attentive guy. He knows all about the eating habits of his flatmates. He even know how to pick good vegetables too. After getting everything, they head to the cashier. Manuel pays for everything, including Benni's groceries. Benni tried to stop him and gives back some money, but Manuel declines. Manuel even gives Benni one of his Nutella to try. He didn't need that much anyway. In fact, he still have two jars at his house. Benni smiles and politely accepts it. Manuel then looks at his watch. It is already 5.46pm, almost time for dinner. He wonders if Benni already has plans for dinner. 

 

"Wow, time sure flies. Are you free for dinner?" asked Manuel.

 

"Dinner? Dinner sounds great." Benni replied with a foolish smile. Benni thought he will spend dinner alone, since his flatmates are all busy with their own activities. But even if he already have plans he will cancel them anyway because it's Manuel Neuer. You don't get to eat with Manuel Neuer every day. Who would even say no to Manuel Neuer? Benni suggests to eat pizza, and Manuel knows just the right place for nice Italian cuisine. Both guys hop onto Manuel's car and head to the restaurant. On the way, they pass by Pizza Hut, Dominos and other pizza places that Benni is familiar with. Manuel isn't bringing him to any of those places. Did Manuel forget where they are going?

 

"Erm... where are we going?" Benni asked. He couldn't resist asking it because they have been in the car for quite a while. He hopes Manuel doesn't say they're lost. 

 

"You'll find out soon. We're going to reach there." Manuel replied with a smile. He still reluctant to reveal the destination until they reach. What is so mysterious about this place?

 

5 minutes after, the guys arrive a classy restaurant called Bella Notte[2]. Bella Notte is a two Michelin star Italian restaurant that is known for making authentic Italian dishes. The head chef has been named for chef of the year in Germany twice. Manuel himself doesn't come here often. He can even count his presence with his hands. Actually he only came here three times before today. Twice for officials. Once with Schalke team and once with the Germany internationals. The other time is with his family for his parents anniversary. Manuel really like this place. Not only the food is mouth watering, the decorations and service level are just top notch. If only the prices aren't sky high, Manuel could dine here every day until the day he dies.

 

Benni took a rather long time to read the menu. He gulps when he sees the prices. He wonders how he could possibly pay for this dinner. But since Manuel invites him to dinner, he's going to pay for the bill, isn't it? If not, Benni would need to stay the whole night washing dishes. Usually, he isn't that indecisive when it comes to ordering food. He already has a dish or two on his mind whenever he goes to Pizza Hut or McDonalds. Maybe it's the unfamiliarity that makes him undecided. And it didn't help when there are a lot of varieties in the menu. There is already 15 types of bread in the first page itself. The young man doesn't know what taste good and what not as he has never been to this restaurant. And Benni doesn't have much knowledge about Italian cuisine either. He knows about the common ones like spaghetti bolognese, carbonara, lasagna, pizza, and that's about it. Some of them in the menu has fancy names that Benni has no idea what it is until he reads the ingredients. He took a glance at Manuel. Manuel is fiddling with his cutlery. He looks like he has already made up his mind long time ago. Benni feels bad for making his company waiting. Maybe he should just follow whatever Manuel is ordering. Since Manuel is ordering it, it wouldn't be bad, right? And it will save them the time. Hopefully, Manuel doesn't order seafood, because Benni hates seafood. 

 

"Manuel, have you decided what to order?" asked Benni.

 

"Ja[3]. Spaghetti and meatballs." said Manuel with a smile. He remembered Benni said he wanted pizza. The Schalke star flips the menu to the pizza selection, points it to Benni and continues "The pizzas here are really nice. I haven't tried them all, but the ones I've tried like Calzone and Marinara are nice."

 

"Spaghetti and meatballs sound nice. I'll have one too!" Benni replied. He just follows Manuel's order as he didn't want to waste any time to decide. Plus he knows how spaghetti and meatballs taste like, so it's all good.

 

Manuel's eyes are glued to Benni, but Benni kept shifting his eyes around the restaurant. The younger guy looks very nervous, but Manuel thinks the nervous Benni still looks pretty darn adorable. 

 

"Do you always eat in these places?" Benni whispers to him.

 

"Nah. It's only on special occasions. I usually cook myself or just grab something from the Bistro." Manuel answered.

 

Benni continues to look around the restaurant and suddenly turns his head to Manuel with a rather intense expression. He asks "Is this a date?" 

 

Manuel froze for a second. He sure hopes so, but he wonders why Benni asks. Would he freak out if he founds out that it's a date? Manuel then continues with a question. "Would you like to think so?"

 

"Erm... Aren't you dating a blond model?" asked Benni.

 

"According to Bild[4], yes. And according to Bild I'm also dating Rihanna and Emma Stone. Next year I will play for Manchester United." Manuel replied with a snark. Then he continues "I'm single and available, in case you're still in doubt."

 

"So, is this a date?" Benni asked again.

 

"Uhm... I guess you can call that." Manuel answered with a smile. He prays that Benni doesn't freak out. And it turns out that Benni didn't.

 

Minutes later, the food arrived. The smell of fresh pasta and comforting bolognese sauce makes the guys more hungry than usual. Manuel digs in his spaghetti and chucks a mouthful of it. He then tries to poke the meatball with a fork. The pasta sauce is too slippery, causing the meatball to slip away from the fork and bounces it's way to the table. Well, this is embarrassing. This is not exactly what you want your date to see the first date. And yet it happened. Manuel couldn't hide it because the meatball bounces towards Benni's direction. Of course, he notices it. Manuel squirts his eyes. He desperately wants to hide now.

 

"Here!" Benni hands him a fork with a piece of meatball. He smiles to Manuel. Manuel opens his eyes and looks at the meatball, feeling touched and utterly speechless. Benni wiggles the fork to get Manuel's attention, signaling the Schalke star to receive the meatball from him. The stunned Manuel wakes up from his thoughts and turns his head to Benni. He accepts the meatball and smiles at the young man as a gesture of appreciation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Aldi - A German supermarket chain store  
> [2] Bella Notte - "Beautiful Night" in Italian. It's actually a song from the movie "Lady and the Tramp"  
> [3] Ja - "yes" in German  
> [4] Bild - A German tabloid
> 
> As some of you might notice, they meet up after 3 weeks but only chat online for 2 weeks. That's because Manuel found out about Bennuel after a week.
> 
> You might think it's easier to write this than a new story. But actually it is harder because people have already known some parts of the story, so I need to write them in another way/perspective to gain readers. And not to mention add new stuff and checking back just to be compatible with the things I wrote previously. It had to be sync in order to make sense. Hopefully, I'm able to do it.


	5. Benni Bear, I'm Manuel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Manuel comes clean with Benni

Benni came home after his dinner date with Manuel that evening with a grin plastered on his face. Mats is already at their room, singing Born This Way loudly with arms swinging back and forth. Benni raises his eyebrow watching his roommate butchering the Lady Gaga song with ridiculous dance moves. Benni takes out his phone and records it. Maybe it could be useful in the future. The blond hair guy giggles silently, hoping Mats won't take notice any time soon. When Mats realised Benni's existence, he runs over to grab Benni's arms and looks at his roommate with sparkling eyes.

 

"Benni, I need to tell you something." said the excited Mats. He looks like a hyperactive kid with tons of energy, impatiently wanting to burst out all the energy from within. 

 

"Mats, me too! Me too!" said Benni with a silly smile. Both guys act like 9-year-old kids meeting up after the summer break, couldn't wait to tell each other about their stories. 

 

"Benni, let me speak first!" said Mats.

 

"Okay!" Benni replied with a nod.

 

"I've broken up with Cathy." Mats said with enthusiasm. He then continues "Benni, I'm gay! I'm gay! I'm gay!" 

 

The smile on Benni's face has faded away. He wasn't expecting to hear a breakup news from Mats. At least not in this mood. But judging from Mats' body language, the break up is probably mutual. His smile came back after a minute as he is genuinely happy for his buddy for finally coming out. He replies "I knew that."

 

"You knew?" asked the surprised Mats, his jaw hanging wide.

 

"Yeah, I told you during 11th grade, but you denied it." Benni replied. Benni knew Mats is gay back in 11th grade, by the way the dark hair boy looked at the other boys. He realised he is gay himself around that time too. Mats was the first person that Benni opened up to. And Mats did everything a real friend would, encouraging and accepting him for who he is. Mats was the one that protected him from the bullies when the boys at school called him names and laughed at him. 

 

"Well... Maybe I wasn't gay back then. But I am now. I feel so gay! I'm so free!" said Mats, trying to save his own statement. Mats starts to dance around the room, spinning jumping and shouting like a mad man. He never felt so happy in his life before. And it was great that he has Benni to tell. Benni tilts his head and smiles at his roommate. He never sees Mats this happy before. Mats is generally a cool and optimistic guy, but today he is a totally different man. He seems confident as ever. Benni can't put a finger about Mats behaviour, but he likes this Mats.

 

Mats stops dancing and turns to Benni. The former has realised that he has been too immersed in his own world and ignored his roommate the whole time. Benni did have something to tell him when he came back. 

 

"Oh, I'm sorry Benni. I was too excited. What was your story?" he asked his roommate.

 

"Well, I had a date with Manuel." said Benni as he starts to giggle. Mats cringes his brows, feeling slightly annoyed with Benni's obsession of Manuel. Oh boy, here we go again.

 

"Benni, stop dreaming." Mats snapped.

 

"Mats, it's true! He took me to Bella Notte! And he even gave me his number!" Benni replied. He takes out his phone and show Manuel's number to his roommate. Mats looks at the phone, eyes twitched.

 

"Is it his real number?" asked Mats suspiciously. He rubs his chin with his hand.

 

"I don't know. I haven't tried calling him yet. But I guess he wouldn't give a fake number if he wants me to call him. He said I could call him to get discounts at Adidas." Benni replied. He looks at the phone, then looks back to Mats. "Should I call him?"

 

"Yes. But not immediately. Play some fishing games. Guys are interested if you are hard to get." said Mats. "Don't make it too easy for him."

 

"Really?" asked Benni, brows furrowing. The blond hair guy looks at his phone, fingers tapping, teeth biting his lip. He is still unsure about his decision. 

 

"Trust me, boo." said Mats with a wink.

 

***

 

Manuel is sitting at the side of the field, wiping off some sweat from his forehead with his hand. It is a sunny day, probably one of the hottest day of the month. Manuel feels like he's going melt with this heat. He takes a bottle and quenches himself with a cool drink of water. He feels so much better now. But this is just a short-term solution as the heat isn't getting any cooler soon. The team is currently having a break from practice, so Manuel takes out his phone and chill. There is a message from bennuel.

 

bennuel: Hi Mandy :D

 

Manuel ponders at his phone. He is hesitating whether he should tell Benni about his true identity. He feels that hiding his internet persona is unfair to Benni. He likes Benni a lot and wanted to get their relationship to the next level. He was attracted to the young man the moment he met him and has gradually fallen in love after knowing more about the young man. He likes the Benni he gets to know on the internet. The Benni in the net is very relaxing, carefree and caring. The Benni that he met in person is nice too but seems to be a little reserved. 

 

Manuel is still not fully convinced that Benni likes him. Well, he knows that Benni loves Manuel Neuer's goalkeeper persona. But what about Manuel Neuer as a person? Does Benni like that Manuel? He wonders. Most of the conversations between him and Benni are about Manuel's game. And he still haven't received news from Benni since that dinner. It's been two days and not a single phone call or a message from Benni. Manuel has returned all calls from unknown numbers, but none of them is from Benni. Maybe the young man isn't interested in him after all. Feeling disappointed, Manuel puts his phone away. Germany International football captain Philipp Lahm notices Manuel's actions from afar. From the goalkeeper's expression, the captain knows that something is bothering his teammate. As a captain, Philipp always makes sure that his teammates are taken care of, whether it's on or off the pitch. He walks over to Manuel.

 

"Hey Manu, what are you thinking about?" asked the captain. Manuel turns his head to him. Philipp has been in a relationship with a woman named Claudia since the age of 16. Perhaps his captain is able to help him with his relationship problems.

 

"Philipp, can I ask you a question?" he asked.

 

"Yeah, sure." Philipp responded.

 

"What is your secret for a lasting relationship?" asked Manuel.

 

"Nein[1]. I have no secrets. You just need trust and honesty." Philipp answered with a smile.

 

***

 

Benni came back to his flat after his shift at the café. He opens the door with his keys and sees a sobbing Marco cuddling Mats tightly on the living room sofa. Mats soothes Marco by whispering something and gently stroking the man's back. Not knowing what happened, Benni's eyes widen, mouth hanging wide and feeling shocked. Mats notices him and gestures him to leave the flat. Benni gets the cue, so he slowly closes the door and leaves the flat with footsteps as gentle as possible. After Benni closes the door, he sighs. He thought he could finally hug his warm and fuzzy bed after a long day. But it's not possible now. And on top of that, he has nowhere to go either. Then, he suddenly realised that he haven't called Manuel since he got the Schalke goalkeeper's number. Benni takes out his phone and starts to call Manuel. As soon as Manuel notices his phone rings with an unknown number, he frantically picks up his phone.

 

"Hello?" Manuel answered.

 

"Hi Manuel, this is Benni. Are you free now?" Benni replied with a soft and shy tone.

 

"Yeah, yeah." Manuel responded quickly.

 

They ended up meeting at Manuel's house, as Benni's flat isn't available. Manuel wanted a private place to tell Benni about the truth. He couldn't think of anywhere better than his own house. Benni is surprised to find himself at Manuel's house. He didn't expect he will be able to visit Manuel's house in a million years. Benni in Manuel's place is like a kid in a candy store. He looks around the house, turning his head back and forth, gazing the living room with his big brown eyes. Despite being excited, Benni still remains his manners. He didn't touch anything in the house unless he is given permission to. The living room has a gigantic window with a breathtaking view of Gelsenkirchen streets. Benni is awe with the night lights of the buildings and streets. He didn't have views like this from his flat. The only view that he has is a big ass building. There's a trophy cabinet at the living room, and Benni is fascinated by it. He gazes the trophies that are placed in the cabinet, trying to read the font printed on the trophies. One of the trophies looks familiar.

 

"Is this the trophy for 'Goalkeeper of the Year'?" asked Benni.

 

"Yes, it is. Would you like to hold it?" Manuel replied.

 

"Ah... It's okay. No need to be troublesome." Benni replied, waving his hands excessively. Manuel laughs at Benni, and takes out the trophy for the young man to hold and take a picture with it.

 

The guys didn't have fancy Italian dinner tonight but have Chinese takeaways instead. Manuel ordered crispy Szechuan duck, not knowing that it is a spicy dish. He chooses it because it's looks like a pretty cool dish. Manuel ended up gobbling a litre of water to cool down the spiciness. Benni, on the other hand, ordered fillet steak stir fried Cantonese style. They chat about their recent happenings and making casual conversations. After finishing their meal, Manuel takes out a couple of beer bottles from the refrigerator. 

 

"Let's play a game." said Manuel.

 

"Oh, games! I love games!" said the excited Benni. He couldn't wait for what is installed.  

 

"It's called The Game of Truth. We will play rock, paper, scissors. The loser will either drink beer or tell a truth about themselves. There is a catch. You can't drink twice in a row. You need to tell a truth about yourself." Manuel explains the game to Benni. Benni nods and they start to play the game. As soon as the game starts, Benni has loss three straight times. He drinks a sip of beer the first time and utters a truth about himself during the second time.

 

"Erm... I cheated in exams before." he said.

 

They continue to play for a few times and Manuel starts to lose. It's time for him to speak out a truth.

 

"I used to bring a teddy bear when I play football until I was 12." 

 

Benni chuckles at Manuel. He asks, "Do you have a name for your teddy bear?"

 

"Yeah. His name is Mr Snuggles." Manuel replied.

 

Both guys laugh for quite a while until their stomach aches. They stop the game for a minute and continue to play. Manuel starts to drink more beer than he supposed to, as nervousness is slowly creeping into his mind. Maybe a little bit of alcohol could help ease the mind.

 

"I tell people on the internet that I'm 22." said Benni. He continues to lose another two rounds, resulting another sip of beer an a piece of truth. Benni blurts out that he has never been in a relationship before. He realised it after he told Manuel, and quickly shove his own mouth with beer. His cheek has become pink. Manuel's eyes widen. He felt surprised because bennuel told him that he used to have a boyfriend. Manuel wonders how many lies that Benni has unintentionally told him. In the next round, Manuel lost twice in a row. The goalkeeper grabs the beer bottle, but he is stopped by Benni.

 

"Ha! You have drank just now. You can't drink anymore. You have to spill out a truth." said Benni. The young man looks at him in the eye, eagerly waiting for Manuel's answer. Manuel feels super nervous and starts sweating excessively. He gulps before opening his mouth to tell Benni a truth.

 

"I'm... Mandy." he mumbled.

 

"What?" asked the confused Benni.

 

Manuel sighs before he starts to talk again "Well, I'm ducky-is-me. I'm Mandy. The Mandy that you talk to everyday on the internet. That's me." Manuel explained.

 

Benni is astounded by Manuel's confession. His eyes almost pop out and his jaw drops as soon as Manuel told him the truth. Never in a million years Benni would figure out that Mandy is Manuel. The young man is utterly clueless about his next move. Manuel, on the other hand, hopes that Benni is drunk right now. However, Benni is still very sober.

 

"Surprise!" Manuel tries to keep the mood going, but it didn't seem to work at all. Benni remains quiet with his dark brown eyes still staring at the goalkeeper, and it is a bad signal. Manuel is nervous, his palm became sweaty. He doesn't know what to do now. Neither does Benni.

 

Manuel has a bad relationship history. He hasn't been able to maintain a relationship for more than 6 months. Mostly due to trust issues. It's bad enough that he couldn't keep a relationship for more than 6 months, and now this one seems to be ended before it even starts.

 

"Sorry, I need to go to the washroom." said Benni. He quickly dashes to the toilet and shuts the door. The student calls his best friend Mats for a solution. But Mats didn't pick up his phone. Feeling nervous, Benni bites his fingernails and walks in circles within the bathroom area. Suddenly, he hears the door knock. 

 

"Benni? Are you alright? I'm sorry. I don't mean to hide it from you. And I don't mean to lie either. I just want to know you better as an ordinary person, not Manuel Neuer as the famous goalkeeper. Apart from the name and profession, everything I've told you on the internet is true. I swear."

 

Manuel does have a point. He is a famous person after all. Sometimes hiding his identity is necessary. And now Manuel chooses to tell him this truth indicates that Benni is more than a fan to him. Furthermore, Benni himself isn't that truthful to ducky-is-me either. He did lie about age and relationship history. After having some time to analyse the situation, Benni cracks open the door and sees Manuel right in front of him.

 

"Let's call it a tie. No more lies, promise?" said Benni.

 

"Promise!" Manuel replied with a smile.

 

***

 

"Woo hoo! Mats! Mats! You have to see this!" said Benni. The young man shakes his roommate's arm to get his attention. The blond hair young man couldn't sleep the whole night after meeting Manuel. He tossed and turned at his bed the whole time, giggling like a little girl thinking about his crush.  

 

"Benni, it's 3am." Mats murmured. 

 

"Mats!" Benni called his roommate again. This time with a louder voice. "Mats! Please wake up. You have to see this."

 

"Okay, okay, what is it?" Mats answered with a grumpy tone as he gets up from his bed. He just went to bed an hour ago after comforting Marco. He obviously isn't pleased to waken up this soon. This better be something important, or he will throw a tantrum.

 

"Manuel just liked my Instagram photo!" said Benni with a foolish grin. He jumps around the room and shouts like an insane dude.

 

"What? You woke me up at 3am for an Instagram photo?" said Mats as he yawns.

 

"Yes, he did! See?" Benni answered with enthusiasm. He shows his phone to his buddy.

 

"Benni, please spare me, I'm so tired right now!" Mats drops back to his bed, covers his blanket over his head and hope Benni will stop his little nonsense.  

 

"But Mats..." Benni tugs his buddy's arms.

 

"BENEDIKT HÖWEDES! GO TO SLEEP!!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Nein - "No" in German
> 
> Actually I didn't plan any romantic elements for Mats in Life starts after 6pm. But I think he should have a little spotlight too.


	6. Benni Bear, These Words Are From My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's no other better way to say 'I love you'. Manuel declaring his love for Benni.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title derived from Natasha Beddingfield's song These words. This chapter is inspired by the song. =D

"Mats, are you cheating behind my back?" Benni asked with a raising eyebrow, his hands on his hips.

 

"What? No, no! You know I only have eyes on you, Liebling[1]." Mats replied with a nervous tone, shaking his head frantically.

 

"Then what's with you and Marco, eh? As your 'wife', I think I have the right to know." asked Benni as he leans closer towards Mats with determination in his eyes, eager to find out the answer.

 

"Well, you flirt with Manuel Neuer too!" Mats replied, trying to distract Benni from asking him about Marco. He tries not to make any eye contact with Benni.

 

"Don't change the topic, Matsi!" said Benni as he looks at his roommate's eyes.

 

Benni and Mats often fool around being each others romantic partner for fun. Mats as the husband and Benni as the wife. Both men had known each other since forever. Their parents are best friends, they grew up in the same neighbourhood and went to the same school. Mats is like a brother to Benni, vise versa. They like teasing and poking fun of each other, but will always support and have each other's backs when needs arise. Lately, there is something happened between Mats and Marco, and Benni wanted to know. The blond tries to fish out something from his best friend.

 

"Okay, fine. Marco has a big crush on this guy Lewy from the Mechanical Engineering course. But it turns out that he doesn't like Marco at all." Mats replied after being compelled.

 

"What? You mean Robert Lewandowski? That guy who looks like a swimsuit model?" Benni replied, with big brown eyes staring and ears perked up at Mats, eager to know more.

 

"Yes. Robert Lewandowski." Mats answered with a nod. The conversation is cut short when they heard a couple of door knocking sounds. Both men turn their head to the door. Benni responds to the knock. "Yes?"

 

The door slowly creaks open. Marco slowly peeks his head into the room and talks in a shy voice. "Erm... I'm sorry to bother. Can I borrow Mats for a while?"

 

"Sure. He's all yours for an Euro." Benni answered. He then turns back to Mats with a sneaky smile. 

 

"I'm worth more than that, mister!" Mats whispered to Benni with a sneer before walking out towards the door. Benni continues to laugh by himself in the room after Mats left.

 

***

 

Manuel and Benni begin to spend more time together. Exercises at the gym, dinners, movies, or just a simple hang out sessions after Benni's classes. Manuel had even gave Benni a pass to the games, with a reason saying that he has extra passes. Even when they are not seeing each other, they would call and talk about silly little stuff on the phone for hours. Sometimes they would make excuses to ask each other out. Like last Thursday, Manuel asked Benni to join his charity work in Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation as a volunteer. Manuel stole a few glances from time to time when Benni wasn't looking and smiled to Benni's sincere kindness towards the kids. From that moment, he confirms that Benni is the one that he is looking for. It's time to tell Benni his feelings.

  

***

 

"If nothing last forever, will you be my nothing?"

 

"Hey there, I know you liked me."

 

"You had me at hello." 

 

"Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, but nothing compared to you."

 

Manuel has been standing in front of the mirror at the changing room for half an hour, practicing how to declare his love for Benni. This is much harder than he thought it would be. He has trouble finding the perfect word to confess. He has tried different ways to say it, including using some cliché words and quotes from movies. He googled 'how to confess love' for inspirations, and even tried singing in front of the mirror.

 

_"I love you baby, and if it's quite alright_

_I need you baby to warm the lonely nights_

_I love you baby, trust in me when I say~"_

 

Manuel drops his hands and sighs. He feels like an idiot. It isn't the first time he had fallen in love in someone, and it isn't even the first time he confesses his love to someone either. But Manuel is unusually nervous about it this time. He bangs his fist on the wall and groans by himself. The goalkeeper opens his eyes widely when he hears a giggle sound nearby. Apparently someone has been watching his whole stunt. The day has just gotten worse for him. Manuel slams his hand on his forehead for his stupidity to practice it in a public area. How embarrassing. He looks around the room and sees his captain Philipp, covering his mouth, giggling. Manuel throws his goalkeeper gloves towards him. Philipp dodges it and still continues to giggle. 

 

"I thought you are an expert in this, Mr Neuer." said Philipp after he stops giggling. He still has tears in his eyes.

 

"To be honest, not really. I didn't really confessed to the first one. And the last one confessed it to me. So, I'm actually not that experienced." Manuel replied. Phlipp looks at his teammate and shakes his head. 

 

"You don't need to practice it. Just say it from here." said Philipp as he points his finger to Manuel's heart. 

 

***

 

Manuel received a text the next morning from Benni asking the goalkeeper to join him for a shopping trip. He claims that he needs some assistance on choosing a birthday gift for Mario's new girlfriend, Ann-Kathrin Brommel. Manuel, of course, agrees to come, with a claim saying he's really good at picking gifts. They meet up after Benni's Economics class at the parking lot nearby the University and the men drove off to the shopping mall. The men arrive a small gift shop decorated with colourful ornaments, few shelves with packed full of soft toys, greeting cards, and adornments. Benni is drawn to a certain section of the shop, which is the teddy bears section.

 

"Aww... That's so cute!" Benni exclaimed with joy, as his eyes are focusing on a white teddy bear with a blue ribbon tied on its neck. He picks up the bear and brushes the fur. Manuel smiles at him. He too picks up a bear with the same pattern and playfully hits Benni's head. 

 

"Hey!" said Benni as he turns around, pursing his lips and eyes staring at Manuel. Manuel chuckles looking at an angry Benni. 

 

"Aren't you a little old for teddy bears?" Manuel teased him.

 

"Yeah right. Says by the person who has a bear in his locker." Benni teased back at Manuel with a smile.

 

"Hey, Mr Snuggles is not just a bear, okay?" Manuel answered as his smile fades away.

 

"Technically he IS a bear." Benni replied, and chuckles a little.

 

Manuel bit his lip, not knowing how to counter Benni's words so he hits Benni with the bear he's holding. Benni hits him back with his bear and they start to have a teddy bear fight by throwing each other with teddy bears from the shelves, literary forgotten that they are already grown-ups. They playfully throw the bears to each other until they heard a sound of a clearing throat. Both men stop their actions and turn their heads. It was the shop assistant that interrupts them. The guys thought they would be in big trouble, but It turns out that the shop assistant is a Manuel fan. She just wants a photo with him. Both Benni and Manuel are relieved. Although the shop assistant told them that it's fine to leave the shop with the mess, but both Manuel and Benni felt bad and so they stayed at the shop to clean up the mess they have made. The guys still fool around with each other during the cleaning process, but still finish the job in the end. They also bought a music box for Mario's girlfriend and two teddy bears from the shop. 

 

Manuel takes Benni to his house and prepares dinner. It's only a simple pasta dish, but it is still delicious, nonetheless. After dinner, both guys head to the balcony and relax on a big hammock. Benni clutches one of the bears they bought today with his hand. They could see trees waving at them. It is indeed a cooling night. The moon has come out, and there are plenty of stars on the sky tonight. The stars seem to shine brighter than usual. Manuel counts the stars from the sky and stops counting them as soon as he lost track of the numbers. Benni closes his eyes and immerses into the quiet night. 

 

"You know what, Benni? I need to tell you something." said Manuel. He turns his head to the right, facing Benni and continues "I love you."

 

Benni opens his eyes wide, and blinks them for a few times, before turning his head to the left. He looks at Manuel with his shiny brown eyes, mouth slightly parted but remains quiet for a long time. Not getting any word from Benni, Manuel begins to frown and looks away.

 

"I'm sorry. Pretend you didn't hear that." Manuel mumbled, thinking that he has probably messed up.

 

"Can you say it again?" Benni finally said with a husky voice.

 

"Huh?" Manuel puzzled, and turns his head back to Benni.

 

"Say it again." Benni replied, his hand tugging Manuel's shirt.

 

"I'm sor-" said Manuel.

 

"No. The one before that." Benni interrupted him. Manuel pauses, takes a deep breath and starts to say it.

 

"I love you." said Manuel, eyes gazing to Benni.

 

"Again." said Benni with a grin.

 

"I love you! I love you! I love you!" Manuel said as he leans over to Benni's ear, making sure the young man could hear him. Benni chuckles and rolls over to the other side of the hammock.

 

"How about you? Do you love me?" Manuel asked.

 

Benni turns around, scoot closer to Manuel, now with his head so close to Manuel that the goalkeeper could hear his breath. He leans over to Manuel ear and whispers with the softest voice he could make.

 

"I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Liebling - "Darling" in German
> 
> I know I'm a cheeseball for using 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' by Frankie Valli. I can't help it! XD
> 
> They are finally together! :D Just to let you know this story is about 15 chapters. I haven't finished writing, but I think this will be the perfect length.


	7. Benni Bear's Roommate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Manuel meets Benni's flatmates

"Mats! Don't open!" Benni shouts from afar with a hand signal when he sees Mats trying to open a jar of Nutella that the latter got from Benni's desk. It is the jar that Manuel gave to Benni on their first date. Benni wants to keep the jar untouched because it is his first gift from Manuel. Mats is astounded by Benni's reaction, his eyes open wide and his hand still gripping the jar of Nutella. Benni snatches the jar from him and puts it into the drawer. 

 

"Calm down, Benni! I'll buy a new one for you after this, okay? The kitchen is out of Nutella." Mats said. He pats Benni's shoulder to give him assurance.

 

"Uhm... Mats, can you have jam for today?" Benni asked, hoping that Mats would leave that jar alone.

 

"We're out of that too. Mario eats a lot lately." Mats replied and sighs. His forehead creases. "It's not about the Nutella, isn't it?"

 

Benni nods to Mats. "Yup. It's not about the Nutella. It's a gift from Manuel."

 

"Thought so. So how are you and prince Manuel?" Mats replied with a raised eyebrow.

 

"Well... he just said the three golden words to me." Benni replied shyly.

 

"You mean 'I love you'? How did he say it?" Mats reconfirmed with Benni.

 

"He just says it from his heart. Just like that." Benni answered with a beam.

 

"That's it? No car, public confession, sky writing, romantic dinner, cruise ship or a thousand candles? And you accepted him just like that? God, that's disappointing." Mats grunted. "You're so easy, Benni boy."

 

"Mats, what do you think it is? Hollywood? Besides, I don't date him for all those things... Well, he did make dinner, though. It was delicious." Benni replied. He then glances at the white stuffed teddy bear sitting on the couch and smiles. 

 

***

 

The start of a relationship is always fun. The flirting, the glances, the little surprises... Everything is fun, even something like cleaning up the house. To Manuel, Benni is funny, smart, the perfect guy. Benni thinks the same too. Last week the guys took a train ride for a short trip. Manuel always has a smart way of disguising himself in the public, and no one has ever recognised him in them. He puts on a pair of glasses, a hat and a trench coat to mask himself. Benni can't help laughing at Manuel's outfit. It reminds him so much of Clark Kent / Superman. During the long train ride, Manuel grabs Benni's hand when the latter isn't noticing and slips it into his trench coat pocket. It was the first time they hold hands. 

 

Benni decides to bring Manuel to his flat. As soon as they reach the flat, Benni leaves Manuel in the living room for a while as he needs to pick up the mail. Manuel ponders around the living room. It is the first time Manuel visit Benni's flat, and it is actually smaller than he thought it would be. But it is surprisingly neat, considering it is a guys' flat. The living room has simple basic furnitures like one lover couch, two single couches, a bookshelf, a telly and a PlayStation. Looking at Benni's life, sometimes the Schalke star wonders how it would be if he was just a normal student like the rest of them. Being a University student seems fun, not having to worry anything in life until your exams period. He is also amazed by the student discounts and privileges that Benni has by being a student. But this is just one of those things that he needs to sacrifice in order to become a football player. 

 

A minute later, a young man comes out from one of the rooms. He is slightly taller than Benni, has curly dark hair and gorgeous looking face. He looks at Manuel for a while, like he knows him from somewhere. Manuel is the one that reaches out to the guy to introduce himself. He says, "Hi, I'm Manuel." 

 

"Yeah, I know who you are. You're that Schalke goalkeeper." he responded as he shakes Manuel's hand. "I'm Benni's husband."

 

"Hus-band?" Manuel stuttered. Manuel is utterly shocked by the guy's statement. Husband. He couldn't believe what he has just heard. He thought Benni is living with a fellow course mate named Mats. At least, that was what Benni told him. Where is Mats? What happened to the laid back, playful, but lazy, I-think-I-am-so-cool Mats that Benni was talking about all along?  And where does this husband come from? Benni told Manuel that he never got into a relationship before, and Manuel believed that. His Benni doesn't look like someone who lies about something like this. But why is the guy claiming that he's Benni's husband?

 

"Yeah, husband. We live in the same room." the guy replied with a sneaky smile. Manuel doesn't like that smile. At this moment, Benni came back from the postbox with a couple of letters and some flyers. He looks at the guys and smiled, saying "Oh, I see you met Mats already."   

 

"Mats?" Manuel replied with a shocking tone. This is Mats? He doesn't look like a Mats. This isn't a Mats, it's a freaking Orlando Bloom clone. He frantically asks Benni, grabbing his arm and looks at his beau with his big blue eyes. "Benni, is Mats your husband?"

 

"No!" Benni replied. He then turns to Mats, knowing that Mats is playing a prank on Manuel. He says with a deadpan face. "Mats Julian Hummels! This is not funny!"

 

Mats begins to laugh. He was just testing Manuel. Mats is the only person that currently knows about Benni's relationship with Manuel. He is very protective when it comes to Benni because Benni is often too nice to people. And lately Benni is head over heels on Manuel, which Mats isn't thrilled about. He is wary about Manuel because the latter is a famous person after all. Famous people often don't treat their relationship seriously. Mats wants to test if that Manuel Neuer is serious with Benni. 

 

"What? If he wants to be one of us, he needs to have a sense of humour." Mats replies and he wipes away the tears of laughter from his eyes.

 

The door opens and two young men come in. Manuel turns his head to check out of curiosity. The tall one looks like a typical male model Manuel sees in magazine covers and the short one looks like a chubby version of Justin Bieber. Are these people Benni's mates? Who has mates like these in the real world? These people only exist in the telly, period. The two guys instantly put their focus on Manuel as soon as they walk into the living room. Their faces quickly turn into smiles as they recognise Manuel. The short guy's eyes are even glowing. 

 

"Manuel Neuer?" the shorter guy asked. "Are you the Manuel Neuer?"

 

"Yes." Manuel replied.

 

"What? I can't believe it! Manuel Neuer is in our flat!" he squeals. "Can we have a photo with you?"

 

Manuel nods his agreement and the short guy takes out his phone from his pocket. Mats didn't want to take the photo, but the other guys made him do it. The guys introduce themselves to Manuel and the flat became lively. Manuel bonds well with the guys. It's isn't hard as they are all young men and share the same interest, which is football. The guys spend their time chatting about football, cars, video games, and whatever stuff that men usually talk about. Mario, Marco and Mats keep on shooting questions to Manuel, and the Schalke star answers all of them without hesitation. All of this is too familiar to him. It's like having an interview session with the reporters. 

 

"Your clothes are very familiar. Where did you buy them?" Mario asked.

 

"It looks like they're from H&M." said Mats. He thought it looked familiar, probably saw it from H&M last week when he was shopping for clothes.

 

"Mats, don't be rude!" said Mario as he turns to him with a stern face.

 

"Mats is right. They are from H&M." Manuel answered with a smile.

 

"What??!!" Everyone in the house shouted with disbelief.

 

***

 

Manuel cuddles Benni at his couch doing nothing and just chilling out. He ponders about Benni and his roommate's relationship. He plays with Benni's blond hair, twisting and twirling it. Benni rests his head on Manuel's broad chest, his finger drawing circles on Manuel's lap.

 

"Let's move into my house." Manuel finally opened his mouth.

 

"Why?" asked Benni.

 

"So we can see each other more." Manuel replied with a sincere smile. 

 

"But it's too far. And besides, I don't have a car." Benni said.

 

"It's okay. You can use mine. I can buy another car." said Manuel.

 

"But I don't want to use your car." said Benni. He twitches his forehead, wondering what Manuel is up to. They just got together less than three months ago, and barely know each other as a couple. And Manuel is already asking him to move in. "Don't you think it's too early?"

 

"Uhm..." Manuel struggled to come out with an excuse. He plays around with his fingers, not making eye contact with Benni.

 

"Manu, are you jealous of Mats?" asked Benni.

 

"Well, you're my boyfriend now. But you're still living with a guy." Manuel pouted.

 

"Hmm... Manuel Neuer is afraid of losing to a University student?" Benni chuckled.

 

"Well, he's not ugly. And he's staying with you every day! How can I not be jealous? Don't tell me he's gay?" asked Manuel with a tense face.

 

"Well, he is gay. But don't worry. If Mats and I were to happen, it would have happened a long time ago." Benni replied with a smile, as he looks at Manuel's eyes and holds Manuel's hand tightly. "Besides, I'm not his cup of tea. He likes Marco."

 

"Which one? The tall one?" Manuel asked.

 

"Yup." Benni replied.

 

***

 

Since Manuel has started dating Benni, he seems to be vibrant. The goalkeeper performs very well in all his practices and games. His performance has gained more recognition from his coach, peers and sports experts. So well that he is promoted as a captain of his team. His current career and love life are just perfect. Life has never been so smooth, and Manuel is loving it. It is now the International call-up time, and that also means there will be a lot of yapping from his teammate Thomas.

 

"Hey Manu! I've googled myself the other day and guess what I've found?" Thomas called him.

 

"Mmm... Transfer news? Scandals?" Manuel replied.

 

"Nah, this is even better. Fanfiction." Thomas answered. He shows him his phone to a website called Archive Of Our Own. He types 'Manuel Neuer' in the search box and clicks the search button. Thousands of fanfiction titles came out. 

 

"There are some cheesy ones that use Taylor Swift song titles. Some of them are so real, it's like they're stalking us or something. And then there are some that are just downright creepy. Like this one, where you fuck with everyone in the team like a whore. And in this one, you kill everyone like some maniac serial killer." said Thomas as he continues to scroll down his phone for more fanfiction. Manuel feels disgusted and disturbed listening to those things. He doesn't know how to respond to Thomas more than giving him a forced smile.

 

"We are a couple in this one." Thomas said with a laugh as he points to his phone screen. He and Manuel look at each other for a while, then both guys look away and simultaneously say "Eww!"

 

"And in this one you make love with Cristiano Ronaldo. Hahahaha..." Thomas laughed.

 

"Who writes these things? Me and Ronaldo? It doesn't even make sense!" Manuel replied, shaking his head. He is puzzled by these fanfictions ideas.

 

"I like this one. I'm a crime scene investigator and you're my side-kick." Thomas continued. 

 

"Crime scene investigator?" Manuel replied with eyebrows raised. Manuel takes a glance of his teammate from head to toe. Maybe it is something like Inspector Gadget. Yeah. That would be believable.

 

Manuel suddenly remembered that Benni had sent him a fanfiction before when he was still referred as Mandy. But he hasn't read it until today because he was too tired when Benni sends the link to him, and he has eventually forgotten about it. Manuel thought fanfictions were similar to biographies or documentaries, but the reality is far different from his thoughts. He searches back the link of the fiction and stares at the screen with the fiction title 'People Fall in Love in Mysterious Ways'. He twitches his fingers, hesitates to read the story. _Should I or should I not read the story?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the support that you all gave me for this fiction, especially on the last chapter. I want to end this one with a little cliffhanger, just because. 
> 
> Thanks to my friend for beta read this chapter =') you're awesome!
> 
> It's interesting to know what happens if famous people found out about themselves in the internet. They probably freak out if they see it.


	8. Benni Bear's Insecurities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Manuel's relationship with Benni gets the first test

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Alittle bit of adult content in this chapter ;)

Manuel clutches Mr Snuggles to his chest, apprehensive about the contents of the fanfiction he is about to read. He ponders in front of his laptop for half an hour, thinking whether he should read the fanfiction or not. Thomas has told him that 80% of the fanfiction is smut. And the worst of them all are those cringe-worthy self-insert characters. People love to write themselves into a story, making love with their idol for their self-fulfillment purposes. Feeling a little terrified, Manuel still clicks the link and reads. It turns out that it isn't as scary as he thought it would be. This one doesn't involve any sexual content. This one is just a platonic love story about a young teenager named Benjamin discovering his sexuality and love. He slowly falls in love with the new boy in school, who is a talented goalkeeper named Manuel Neuer. At first, Manuel felt it was weird to read something about himself that isn't really himself. There are traits of him but at the same time there are significant things that don't represent him at all. As he reads on, it seems to be a good read after all. There are parts that are funny and there are also sweet endearing moments. Although the grammar isn't perfect, it didn't affect the reading experience much.

 

And after reading the fanfiction Manuel seems to look at Benni in a slightly different way. He takes notice of Benni's actions and compares it with the character in Benni's fanfiction. Though there are a lot of similarities, Benjamin and Benni doesn't really act the same way. Benni still remains the innocent, kind, polite guy as the way he first met the young man. At the beginning of the relationship, Benni is still very reserved when they communicate. Manuel is always the one that takes the lead. Maybe it's the fact that Manuel is his idol, and Manuel is his first romantic partner. But as time goes by Benni is more and more comfortable being with Manuel, and starts to take more initiative towards their love life.

 

Benni came to Manuel's house with a smile on his face. Benni always looks forward to their dates. He did almost all the talking today while Manuel just stares at his boyfriend for the whole time. When Benni stops talking and gets a drink from a glass, Manuel suddenly mentions about the fanfiction out of the blue.

 

"I've read your story the other day. You know, 'People Fall in Love in Mysterious Ways'." 

 

Benni didn't realise he has sent the fanfiction to Manuel beforehand as he didn't know Mandy was actually Manuel. Benni would never send his fanfiction to Manuel even now that they are in a relationship. It is his dirty little secret that he hides in his closet. Fanfictions are really crazy fantasies that fans made up for entertainment purpose and not meant to be read by the people involved in the story. It would be really awkward for Manuel to read a fanfiction that is written by his boyfriend. And damn, Manuel have read it. Benni wants to dig a hole and bury himself six feet under. Manuel might think he's crazy right now. The student is shocked by his boyfriend's words and chokes on the water in his throat.

 

"Are you okay, Benni?" asked Manuel with a concerned face as he pats Benni's back to soothe the young man.

 

Benni coughs for a few times and wipes off the excess water off his face with some tissues. When he is finally able to speak, he says "What?"

 

"I read your fanfiction." Manuel replied. Benni looks at Manuel with his brown hazel eyes, he opens his mouth wanting to say something but felt a lump in his throat.

 

"Well... It's a bit cheesy." Manuel continues with a smile. "But I love cheese."

 

Benni still remains quiet and Manuel continues to talk. "You got most of the things right, but one thing is absolutely wrong. Manuel doesn't kiss Benjamin like that."

 

"Then how does Manuel kiss?" Benni asked, feeling puzzled.

 

"Like this." Manuel whispered as he draws himself closer to Benni and plants a kiss to Benni's cheek. He pulls Benni for a cuddle and starts to give a kiss trail from the cheek, neck and down to the collarbone. Benni couldn't help giggling from the ticklish feeling. Manuel continues to kiss Benni's neck more passionately, planting wet kisses on Benni's smooth fair skin. He teases Benni with some licks from time to time. He has one hand holding Benni's back and the other hand caressing Benni's chest, nipple, arm. Benni closes his eyes, breathe unsteady and just immerse the warmth of Manuel's mouth.

 

Manuel presses his lips to Benni's and starts kissing him. His slowly slide his hand to find it's way to Benni's hip bone while kissing his beau. As soon as he reaches it, he tried to unbutton the stubborn jeans button. He feels a hand grasp his, preventing him from removing the jeans. Manuel breaks the kiss and looks at Benni with his big blue eyes.

 

Benni shies away to the end of the couch, right hand grabbing his left arm, avoiding eye contact with Manuel. He frowns at the corner. Manuel tilts his head and examines his beau's behaviour. The Schalke star couldn't understand what has gone wrong. They were having a good time, his boyfriend was enjoying the kissing, but then he suddenly took a sharp break. He asks Benni

 

"What's wrong, Benni? What is bothering you?"

 

Benni just isn't ready for sex yet. Although he and Manuel have been in a relationship for few months now, but they didn't have as many dates as other couples do. It's already a blessing that they could meet once a week. Some of their meetings are short due to Manuel's busy schedule. And because they have an underground relationship, they barely have intimate moments together. Not too long ago Manuel wanted him to move in, and now Manuel wants to have sex with him. All of this is too fast for Benni, who didn't have a boyfriend prior to Manuel. To Benni, the dating game is still new to him and having sex a big step forward in their relationship. Having sex with someone involves huge emotions. It's too overwhelming for him. He just wants to have it with the right person at the right time. And right now it isn't the right time.

 

"I'm... not ready." said Benni with a hoarse voice. Manuel can barely hear his voice. His face has turned into a cold one. Feeling deflated, Manuel walks away and says

 

"It's okay."

 

Benni has never seen Manuel behave in such a way before. Even when Benni rejected to move in with him, he didn't look like that. Benni begins to worry about Manuel's feelings. He turns around and follows Manuel to his bedroom. Manuel collapses to his bed and sighs. Benni sits beside him and says "I'm sorry Manu. I'm sorry. Are you angry?"

 

"I'm not angry. I'm sad, but not angry." Manuel murmured.

 

The two remain quiet for a while until Benni utters "Well... Erm... Okay, I'll do it if it makes you happy."

 

Manuel takes a peek at Benni. He gets up from his bed and shakes his head. The Schalke goalkeeper moves his hands around Benni's arms to soothe his tensed boyfriend. He says, "Benni, don't force yourself if you're not ready. Making love is about two people having the most intimate and special moment. It's not about me, it's about us. I wouldn't be happy if you're not. We'll do it when you're ready, okay?"

 

"But... what if it takes 50 years?" Benni asked.

 

"Haha... I don't think you need 50 years, Benni." Manuel chuckled to Benni's question. Maybe Benni needs 50 days, but no way he needs 50 years to be ready for sex. Manuel presses his lips to Benni's forehead and caresses Benni's hair to comfort his beau. He whispers to his boyfriend. "Don't worry, bear."

 

***

 

"Manuel, look here. Give us a smile!"

 

Manuel is super thrill today because his manager has landed him an Audi car commercial. He already loved it even before he starts the shoot because the goalkeeper has always loved cars. Plus the coolest part is that he gets a free car. That is one of the perks of being a famous football player. Thomas has already booked himself to be the first passenger for the new car. There are photoshoot sessions for the posters and still advertisements and there is also video shoot for TV commercials where Manuel gets to drive the car around the streets. The photo shoots went smoothly. It was easy because he just needs to be cool and charming in front of the camera. The driving part is Manuel's favourite part of the commercial. There is where he just drives and be himself. There is also where he meets a beautiful and charismatic woman named Isabella. Isabella is a famous Italian singer who is also one of the spokespeople for Audi. She is chosen to sing the theme song. When Isabella appears, she instantly becomes the center of the attention. She makes the shooting process fun and relaxing. Manuel finds her attractive and friendly. Isabella makes a good friend for him as she can talk about almost anything, even topics like cars and football. Apart from the photoshoot, Manuel joins Isabella for lunches as the two have much in common. As Manuel is chatting with Isabella, he didn't realise the existence of paparazzi, who captured their every move.

 

At the end of the photo shoot, Isabella requests for a selfie with Manuel. Manuel, of course, agrees to it as a polite gesture. Isabella presses a kiss to Manuel's cheek as she snaps the photo. Manuel turns his head to the songbird, puzzled 

 

"What's that for?"

 

"A gift." she said and gives Manuel a wink.

 

"Erm, don't post it to the social media, okay?" Manuel said.

 

"Yeah, don't worry." she assured.

 

In the end, Isabella didn't keep her promise and still posts the photo on Instagram. The photo has caused quite a stir in the social media and rumours keep flying around, each has different versions of it. Manuel tried to ask Isabella to take down the photo, but she ignored Manuel's words. The Schalke goalkeeper is worried about his boyfriend's feelings. He prays that Benni didn't see that photo or didn't listen to any of the rumours. Well, he knows that is close to impossible, but he still hopes. It's been a month since Manuel last meet up with Benni. The both of them are busy with their own lives, Benni having his finals and Manuel is busy with his football career. They promise to meet up after Benni's finals. When Manuel calls Benni after his practice, Benni seems to be in his normal state. Manuel is relieved to hear that his boyfriend didn't flip out or anything. But Benni speaks in a nonchalant tone instead of his usually bubbly voice when the younger man used to speak with him. But maybe that's because of the exam stress. Manuel understands that. Maybe the stress has gotten into Benni. But Manuel didn't realise their conversations has gone shorter and shorter each time they spoke over the phone. There are times that Manuel wanted to speak more, but Benni cuts the conversations short. And then there were times that Manuel is too tired and chooses to end the conversation early, especially the after games.  

 

And when it is the time to finally meet up, Manuel shows up at Benni's doorstep with ice cream to surprise his boyfriend. However, he gets a cold shoulder instead of a warm welcome. Benni shouts at Manuel and the younger man shuts himself in his room, not letting Manuel explain himself. Manuel tries calling Benni through the phone and sends him numerous messages, but Benni doesn't respond to any of them. Manuel came back to Benni's flat the next day and found out the reason behind Benni's anger. It is none other that the Isabella case. The goalkeeper tries to explain himself, but none of his words got into his boyfriend's head. In the middle of their fight, Benni's roommate Mats back from jogging and Benni kisses Mats on purpose. Manuel knows Benni just did it to anger him, but it still feels like swords stabbing through his heart. Manuel is furious. He clenches his fist hard to prevent himself from strangling anyone in the room. After Mats left the room, Manuel tries to talk to Benni about the situation. Benni seems to be calm after making his little 'revenge' and lets Manuel explain. Manuel takes out his phone and shows Benni the messages between Isabella and himself. After reading the messages, Benni realises all of this is just a misunderstanding. He felt bad for being angry and kissing Mats.

 

"Manu, I'm sorry I kissed Mats." Benni murmured.

 

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it." Manuel replied. He kisses Benni's cheek and smiles to his boyfriend. He then opens his photo album to show Benni some photos. Photos of themselves, his own selfies, group photos with his teammates and beautiful scenery. Benni teases at Manuel's selfie skills and both guys giggle as they reminisce the sweet moments. Manuel requests to see Benni's phone as a fair game. As first Benni is reluctant, but Manuel manages to persuade him by bribing him with kisses and Nutella ice cream. It turns out that the reason Benni refused to let Manuel see his phone is because Benni's phone has a lot of Manuel candid. It seems like Benni has been secretly taking photos of him when he's not looking. Benni lowers his head and just stay silent. His face has turned pinkish. To make the situation less awkward, Manuel diverts to a new topic by showing Benni some funny messages from his teammate Thomas. Benni's smile came back. They continue to read other messages until they stumble at a conversation between Manuel and his other teammate named Christoph Kramer. Manuel exits the message application and says

 

"I'm hungry. Let's go out to eat."

 

"Wait, that looks interesting. Can you open that first?" asked Benni.

 

"We'll read it after lunch, okay?" Manuel answered as he tries to dodge Benni's request.

 

"Bae, I want to see that." Benni insisted as his nudges Manuel's wrist. His forehead creases when Manuel hesitates. At last, Manuel decides to open that message to Benni to avoid any misunderstanding. They just resolve one and Manuel didn't want to start another one. Manuel winces as Benni reads the message

 

_Christoph: Hey Manu, how do you get a girl? I can't seem to get one._

__Manu: I got a one by bumping into him with coffee on purpose._ _

___Christoph: On purpose?_ _ _

_Manu: Yeah. Sometimes you have to create chances. You can't always wait for things to happen._

___Christoph: Oh. And then?_ _ _

_Manu: Offer to buy her a new shirt. Then you will get the 2nd date._

 

Benni gives the phone back to Manuel and looks away. His face has turned into a cherry tomato. He sort of regrets for asking Manuel to open that message. Maybe some things are best to keep in as a secret. Manuel looks at his beau. He breaks a cold sweat, nervously waits for his beau's next action. Benni holds Manuel's hand and gives it a squeeze. He says

 

"Manu, I'm hungry. Let's go out to eat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When writing Real person fiction (RPF) I think it's important to treat the people with respect because these are real people after all. While it's fun to express our creativity, it's important to have a limit, and not to cross the line. Because we'll never know who will read them. :P
> 
> I put this in the Hemingway app and it stated Grade 5 (instead of my normal Grade 3). Imma so proud!


	9. Benni Bear is My Boyfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Manuel coming out as bisexual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: A little adult content in the chapter ;)

It certainly didn't take Benni 50 years to be ready for sex. Actually it only takes Manuel one more attempt to succeed. Manuel makes some changes this time around. He plans a small trip with Benni to Munich in hoping to make Benni forget all the stress and unhappy events. He made sure Benni feels special by taking Benni to a fancy restaurant, showering Benni with gifts, making sure he fulfills Benni's every wish. Benni is relaxed throughout the day, which is a good sign. When they went back to the hotel, Manuel made sure he didn't rush it this time. He asks Benni to sit on his lap and whispers some sweet phrases to his boyfriend. He starts to slowly kiss and nibble Benni's ear, cheek, neck and shoulder, at the same time caresses Benni's chest and thigh with his hands. This time, he reads Benni's body language carefully before proceeding the next move. Manuel gently grabs Benni's shirt collar and sees how Benni would react. Benni didn't mind Manuel's action this time, he kisses Manuel's lips instead. He too grabs Manuel's neckline. Manuel slowly unbuttons Benni's shirt one by one. Benni smiles at him after breaking the kiss and helps to undress him. Manuel makes sure Benni is comfortable throughout the whole process by constantly communicating with his beau, making eye contacts and assuring his beau that he could be trusted.

 

When Benni opens his eyes, it is already morning. He felt a ray of light striking through his eyes. Apparently the sun is already up. But all he could see is an empty bed. The sheets are messy, he is still in his naked self and his clothes are still scattered around the room. But there are no signs of Manuel. Benni searches the room, but not a trace of Manuel could be found. No Manuel or any of his belongings such as shirt, pants, phone or even his underwear could be seen. Not even a single note is left for him. Benni begins to panic. He takes his phone and starts calling Manuel. But no one picks up on the other end. Benni felt cheated. When he dresses, he winces and curses by himself for his stupidity in believing Manuel's words last night.

 

In the midst of sobbing, the sound of the door clicks. The door opens and Manuel comes into the hotel room with some takeaway boxes. Benni rushes to Manuel and hugs him as tight as possible, afraid of losing him again. He lets out a huge breath.

 

"Benni, what happened?" asked the puzzled Manuel.

 

"Manu, I thought you didn't want me anymore." said Benni as he cries.

 

"Why would you say that?" asked Manuel, who is shocked by Benni's statement.

 

"You just left without telling me anything. Not even bother leaving me a little note." Benni sniffs as he tries to hold back his tears.

 

"You said you wanted to eat bockwurst[1], so I bought it the first thing in the morning for breakfast in bed. I thought I would reach here before you wake up so I didn't leave you a note." Manuel replied.

 

"But I called you." said Benni.

 

Manuel takes his phone from his pocket with one hand and checks it. There are indeed two missed calls. He probably didn't realise his phone was ringing when he was at the busy streets. Feeling ashamed, he apologises to Benni. "I'm sorry, Benni. I didn't realise my phone was ringing."

 

Benni didn't know what to say anymore. It turns out to be another misunderstanding. He lowers his head and just keeps quiet. Manuel plays the pity card and continues to talk. "These bockwurst are tasty, you know. I bought it from that famous stall. It's really hard to get, you know. I've lining up for half an hour for it. They are almost sold out."

 

"Well, I just want my boyfriend." Benni pouts as he wraps his arms around Manuel.

 

Manuel looks at his boyfriend and tries to make a joke. "What if I'm not your boyfriend, but Manuel Neuer?" 

 

Benni looks away from Manuel and laughs at the bad joke that his boyfriend took from the Coke Zero commercial. He then snatches one of the boxes from Manuel's hands. "Gimmie that."

 

***

 

Keeping the relationship in private isn't as easy as it seems. That means no holding hands in public, let alone cuddling and kissing. At first it was fun and exciting. Manuel and Benni would text each other even when they are just sitting next to each other. They would make flirty eye contacts and talk in secret codes that only they themselves understand. But as time passes by, it became tiring and troublesome. Sometimes Manuel  just wants to shout to the world, telling them that Benni is his boyfriend. But if only things are that easy. Manuel starts to think about his future with Benni. They certainly can't stay like this forever. Sooner or later they will need to let everyone know about their relationship. But first, he needs to come out as a bisexual, and coming out isn't easy. And being an athlete, it is twice as hard. In the athlete world, being gay is a taboo. Male athletes are portrayed as macho role models to the public. In the eyes of the public, being gay is equivalent to a woman. Being gay is 'weak'. But the truth is contrary to the beliefs. The only difference between straight and gay people are different preferences of romantic partners. Personality wise, gay people still behave the same as straight people. It doesn't change their gender, race or age. And Manuel is bisexual, which is worse that being gay. People often think bisexuals are non-existing breeds. They think bisexuals are either closet gays or just gays.

 

Manuel discusses his situation with Benni, and his boyfriend fully support his decision. He tries testing the water by hinting the gay/bisexual topic to his captain Philipp for some advice. Manuel chooses Philipp because he thinks Philipp is quite liberal. He also trusts Philipp whole heartedly that the captain will not treat him differently even if he doesn't agree with Manuel's views. Philipp thinks coming out might not be a wise choice as teammates and fans might not able to accept the fact, and emotionally wise it might hurt the person itself. Though Philipp doesn't encourage gay people to come out during their career, but he will support them if anyone wants to come out. He asks Manuel to think wisely before making any decision. 

 

"I'm bisexual."

 

Manuel starts by coming out to Philipp and Bastian. Then, he tells the whole team about it, both Schalke and the National team. His captain Philipp is the first one to support him. His teammate Bastian hugs him and gives few words of encouragement for his courage to come out. Bastian and Lukas soon admit their relationship to the team. However, not everyone is as understanding and liberal as Philipp. Some of his teammates treat him like an alien. They stay few inches away from Manuel as if Manuel would harm them or he's carrying some unknown disease. Most of them refuse to take showers with Manuel. Life in Schalke isn't that great either. People are having small talks about him. It hurts whenever he accidentally heard them. The situation badly affects the team's performance and Manuel himself mentally. But there are still people that still treat him the same, like his Japanese teammate Atsuto Uchida. But Manuel thinks he probably didn't know enough German to understand what is happening.

 

Manuel's biggest fear is coming out to his parents. Manuel's parents are conservative especially when it comes to parenting and marriages. But Manuel believes his parents would accept him for who he is after some time, as blood is thicker than the water. The result is exactly what he has expected. They are strongly against it. He knows it would take time for them to accept, but it still hurts when his father says hurtful words, saying that he's a disgrace to the family. His mom tries hard to convince Manuel to be a straight person. But no matter what mom says, Manuel can't change the fact that he's bisexual. However, Mrs Neuer can't seem to get that. The bickering in his house affects Manuel's emotions deeply. Sometimes Manuel didn't want to go to his parents' house because of the tense environment.

 

Manuel's current form is the worse of his career. Sometimes it's hard for him when his teammates don't believe in him. It saddens him when they are questioning his leadership abilities behind his back. Thankfully he has Benni to depend on when he's down. This has made him cherish Benni more than ever. Although Manuel didn't tell Benni about things happened at the locker rooms, Benni could easily guess them from his behaviour. Manuel would often call Benni just to hear Benni's voice for comfort. Sometimes, Manuel would just cuddle Benni and not utter a single word for the whole night. Benni would soothe him by kissing and caressing him, making sure Manuel sleeps before he himself does. He spends more time with Manuel by spending nights in Manuel's house, making sure Manuel eats and sleeps properly. Benni constantly reminds Manuel to call him anytime whenever his boyfriend needs someone to talk to, accompany him through the dark period. He remembers back the days when he came out during Gymnasium[2]. He was lucky to have Mats and understanding parents that time. But Manuel isn't as lucky as Benni.

 

Time heals everything and soon younger players like Julian Draxler and Thomas are more liberal towards the situation. One by one, the players are able to accept him for who he is. People realise that homosexuals and bisexuals are just like straight people after all. And Thomas making jokes about his sexuality seems to help to ease the situation.

 

Benni and Manuel discuss opening their relationship to the public. Manuel wants their relationship known to everyone, but Benni disagrees. He didn't want any unwanted attention, especially from the media. Manuel understands Benni's intention, but he still keeps persuading Benni about it. At last Manuel decided to drop the idea when he heard from his colleagues that their girlfriends receive death threats just because they are WAGS. He doesn't want Benni to get hurt because of him. But Benni and Manuel both agree to let their close friends and families have acknowledgement about their relationship. Benni introduces Manuel to his close friends. It isn't surprising to them, as Manuel often appear their flat. Mats already knew their relationship. He has secretly told Marco about it and Mario has figured out himself. Manuel brings Benni to the locker room to introduce Benni to his teammates. Everyone receive Benni with open arms, especially Julian who seems to like Benni a lot. Maybe because they have a lot in common.

 

Ende gut, alles gut[3]. At least for this part.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] bockwurst - A type of German sausage made from veal and pork  
> [2] Gymnasium - Secondary school in Germany  
> [3] Ende gut, alles gut - "All's well ends well" in German
> 
> A reference to Manuel's Coke Zero commercial. :P
> 
> This chapter takes a bit longer time that I thought it would be. Hopefully it's okay.


	10. Meeting Benni Bear's Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Manuel meeting the parents for the first time.

"Bae, my mom wants to meet you."

 

Manuel stunned when Benni said that to him. Meeting the parents certainly hasn't crossed his mind. But he really shouldn't be that surprised. It's been over a year since they started dating. It is a reasonable time to meet the parents now. Time sure flies when you're having fun.

 

"Really?" he responded.

 

"Yeah, I told her about you and she wants to meet you. Well, I didn't tell them exactly who I'm dating. I told her that I'm dating a caring, loyal and charming guy. But I haven't told her that I'm dating Manuel Neuer yet. I want to give her a surprise. She'll be delighted to know that you're my boyfriend." said Benni in a cheerful voice. He kisses Manuel's cheek and continues. "Dad will love you too. He's a Schalke fan."

 

Benni is looking forward to this meeting. He couldn't stop talking about it. He talks about it in the car, in the living room, the kitchen, balcony and even on the bed. But Manuel? Not so much. He tries to avoid meeting with Benni's parents by giving some work related excuses. But Benni pushes him for a specific date so Manuel has no choice but to comply. He hasn't met his ex-girlfriend's parents from any of his previous relationships. They were far too short to the point of meeting the parents. And that gives him anxiety as he has nothing for reference.

 

He goes to his experienced teammates Philipp and Thomas for some advice. Philipp tells him to be himself and not to worry about anything else while Thomas tells him to bring some gifts for the parents and be funny. Thomas also talks about his story about meeting his wife Lisa's parents for the first time. Though the story is long, Manuel finds it useful as he knows what not to do or say now. And then Thomas keep on yapping about his love life with Lisa. The midfielder seems to have given out a little bit too much of information. Manuel just nods and smiles politely to Thomas as a response.

 

And when the big day finally came, Manuel puts on his best shirt for the occasion and spends more time grooming than usual. Benni has told him that her mom loves chocolate so Manuel bought a box of Ferrero Rocher for Mrs Höwedes and a fine red wine for Mr Höwedes. He picks Benni up at the flat and both of them drive to Mrs Höwedes' house. Manuel couldn't stop adjusting his collar line during the whole journey to Benni's parents house. Benni keeps on talking about how his parents would love him, but it didn't help to calm down the goalkeeper's nerves at all. In fact, it made Manuel more nervous than he already is because that means Benni's parents probably have high expectations of him. What if he isn't what they are expecting? The 45 minutes journey seems like 4.5 hours journey. At one point, Manuel feels like jumping out from the car, but that certainly can't solve the problem.

 

As he reaches the doorstep of Benni's parents house, his palms are getting sweaty. This is more nerve wrecking than the World Cup. He feels that the bottle of wine he's holding is going to slip off from his hand any minute. Benni adjusts Manuel's shirt, looks at him with crystal clear eyes and says "Are you ready?"

 

"Yep." Manuel replied. But in his mind he isn't ready at all.

 

Benni turns away and rings the doorbell. The door opens and Benni's mom is standing at the door.

 

"Guten Abend, mama!" Benni greets his mother.

 

"Guten Abend, Frau Höwedes. Ich heiße Manuel Neuer." Manuel introduced himself to Benni's mom. Mrs Höwedes looks at Manuel from head to toe to confirm herself. She is dumbfounded to see Manuel arrive at her doorstep. The woman is wondering whether this is just a prank set by her son or a dream. Nope. And it's not a Coke Zero commercial either. Her son is really dating Manuel Neuer. The one and only Manuel Neuer. Mrs Höwedes just stands at the door with her mouth hanging wide.

 

"Ma-nuel Neuer? The Manuel Neuer?" Mrs Höwedes said after Benni nudged her.

 

"Ja, Mrs Höwedes." Manuel replied with a smile.

 

Mrs Höwedes welcome the young men into her house. They walk into the living room and greet Mr Höwedes. Mr Höwedes is shocked to meet Manuel too. Both Mr and Mrs Höwedes adore Manuel's presence. They have a good chat about football and other casual conversations. Everything is smooth until Mrs Neuer pops out a question.

 

"How many people have you dated before Benni?"

 

"Three." Manuel answered.

 

"Really?" said Mr Neuer with a raised eyebrow. "Aren't you straight? Why are you dating our son?"

 

"Mama! Papa! Stop it!" said Benni, who tries to stop his parents from questioning Manuel. But Mr and Mrs Höwedes ignore their son and continues the Q&A session.

 

Meeting the parents session has somehow turned into a police investigation session. Mr and Mrs Höwedes keep on shooting questions to Manuel. Each question is more personal than the last one. Although it is nerve wrecking, Manuel tries to answer them in the nicest way possible. He has a feeling that Benni's parents aren't a fan of his love life. What is written in the tabloid makes him more unlikable. In Manuel's defense, he has a valid reason for all those failed relationships. His first love was just a puppy love. They aren't suited for each other. The 2nd one didn't last due to lack of communication during the long term relationship. His 3rd girlfriend was a gold digger and she dated Manuel for fame and money. Manuel just isn't good luck when  it comes to relationships. Benni, on the other hand, is annoyed by his parents' behaviour, but Manuel calms him down by holding his hand, assuring him that it's fine. During the journey home, Benni apologises to Manuel.

 

"I'm sorry, bae. I thought they would love you." said the worried Benni.

 

"It's okay, Bear. They haven't got to know me in depth. Once they do, everything will be alright." Manuel replied. He holds Benni's hand and lets the younger man rests on his shoulder.

 

***

 

Few days later Mrs Höwedes visits Benni at his flat to discuss Manuel. She asks her son. "Benedikt, are you getting serious with Manuel?"

 

"Of course, mom. I wouldn't bring him home if I'm not serious." Benni replied.

 

"Your papa and I are happy that you got a boyfriend, but we don't have a good feeling with this relationship. We live in a different world from them, Benedikt. I'm not completely against you dating a celebrity, but Manuel doesn't have a good track record, you know. I know you told me that you've dated for a year. But maybe it's still relatively new for him because you're a guy. We just don't want you to get hurt in the end." said Mrs Höwedes.

 

"But mom, I like Manuel a lot. I love him. And he loves me too. I know his feelings for me is real." said Benni.

 

"I just hope you know what you're doing, Benedikt." said Mrs Höwedes.

 

 ***

 

Benni is setting up the dining table for a candle light dinner at Manuel's house. Manuel has given him the keys to his house last week for convenience. Benni thinks it's a good idea to give his boyfriend a surprise after a long day from football practice. In the middle of adjusting the utensils, he heard a door opening sound. Benni thought Manuel would be home after 5pm. But who could it be besides Manuel? Benni puts his focus on the door. The door opens and it turns out to be a woman.

 

"Who are you?" said the woman.

 

"I'm Benedikt. But you can call me Benni." Benni replied. He looks at the woman. Judging by the appearance and the fact that she also has the keys to this house, Benni guesses the woman is probably Manuel's mother. "You must be Manuel's mom?"

 

Instead of greeting Benni, she replies with an irritated tone. "Why are you in my son's house?"

 

"Manuel... gave the keys to me. I'm... I'm... his boyfriend." Benni answered nervously. He didn't expect a response like that. He accidentally drops the fork that he's holding. It seems like he's not welcomed.

 

"Boyfriend? What kind of nonsense are you talking about?" said Mrs Neuer as she rolls her eyes, giving Benni a disgusted look. "I'm sorry, Mr Benedikt. But can you please leave the house?"

 

Benni frowns as he heard that statement from Manuel's mom. It's obvious that she didn't like him at all. It also seems like Manuel has never mentioned him to his parents. Benni could hear Mrs Neuer grunts as he packs his belongings. He apologies to Mrs Neuer before leaving the house.

 

Benni collapses to his bed and contemplates alone. He wonders why Mrs Neuer hates him before she even gets to know him. And Manuel never mentions about going to his parents house either. Benni has been waiting Manuel to invite him to the parents' house, but Manuel never did. Not even organising a simple meal. Seriously how hard would it be to have a simple meal? Everyone needs to eat anyway. Benni tried hinting it, but Manuel always seem to avoid the topic. Maybe Manuel didn't intend to be with him in the long run. Maybe his own parents are right since the beginning.

 

When Manuel finally arrive home, he notices some differences to the house. His mom is in the living room, looking extremely angry. Benni's phone is on the coffee table. The dining table is half set. Putting all the puzzle pieces together, Benni might have met his mother earlier. Uh oh.

 

"Mom?" said Manuel.

 

"Manuel, how long are you going to play this gay game?" Mrs Neuer asked with a furious tone. She still thinks her son is straight but experiments homosexual for fun.

 

"Mom, I told you it's not a game. And I love him!" said Manuel. "What did you say to him?"

 

"Nothing. I just told him to leave." Mrs Neuer replied.

 

Manuel grunts and dashes to Benni's flat without saying goodbye to his mom. Mrs Neuer tried stopping him, but Manuel ignores her. As soon as Manuel reaches Benni's flat, he hugs boyfriend tightly and apologies. Benni is stunned. 

 

"Manu, why you never invite me to your parent's house?" Benni asked.

 

"Erm... They're busy." Manuel replied without thinking. Stupid stupid move.

 

"Your mom kicked me out of the house, Manuel. Please tell me the truth." said Benni.

 

"Uh..." Manuel hesitated as he lets Benni go.

 

"Are you embarrass of me?" Benni continued. Tears start forming in his eyes.

 

"No! Of course not! You're the best thing that happened in my life!" Manuel quickly responded.

 

"Then why didn't you invite me to your parents' house? I don't think your mom even know that I existed before today." said Benni with frustration.

 

Manuel takes a deep breath and sighs. He stands quietly for a while before opening his mouth. "They don't really hate you. It's all because of me. My parents don't approve my sexuality. They are still reluctant to accept the fact that I'm bisexual."

 

The opinion of Manuel's parents hasn't changed since Manuel spoke about his sexuality. His dad hasn't even spoke to him since coming out. But he didn't tell Benni about it. He didn't want Benni to be worried. And he doesn't think his boyfriend could do anything to help either. Manuel didn't tell his parents about Benni because knew his parents wouldn't like any Tom, Dick or Harry that he dates. He wants his parents to accept him for who he is before introducing Benni. But Manuel hasn't fixed this problem until today. He has been busy with work and he spent most of his leisure time trying to impress Benni's parents, without realising he has neglected his own parents. Manuel promises to Benni that he will fix this problem though in his mind he still has no idea how to.

 

***

 

"You're a nice guy, Benedikt. But Manuel isn't the guy for you. I hope you will find another guy soon."

 

Benni's heart shattered when he heard those words from Mrs Neuer. He and Manuel are trying to mend the situation from his first impression to Mrs Neuer. Although Manuel is able to convince his parents for a nice dinner at a fine dining restaurant, but no matter what Benni does, Mr and Mrs Neuer still wouldn't accept him. Benni is disappointed with the outcome. He doesn't say anything during the car journey home. His boyfriend doesn't know what Mrs Neuer had told him. Mrs Neuer had the private talk with Benni when her son was in the toilet. The only thing she's not satisfied with Benni is the fact that Benni is a guy. It's not even a habit or attitude that Benni could change. Being a guy is just who he is. Benni couldn't change who he is. And how is he going to continue a relationship that doesn't receive blessings from the parents? 

 

"Benni! Benni!" Manuel waves his hand in front of Benni, trying to get his boyfriend's attention.

 

"Huh?" Benni awakes from his thoughts.

 

"Hey, don't worry. We're in this together." Manuel holds Benni's hand tightly, assuring him. But Benni still isn't optimistic about the situation. 

 

Benni goes straight to his room when he reaches his flat and sees Mats reading a book named 'Wait For Me'. It is Mats' favourite book. Benni tells Mats about his current situation as Mats listens. He sighs deeply.

 

"I just don't know what to do." said Benni.

 

"Just do your best and that's it. You just need to be patient in these things. My parents don't like Marco when they met him. You know, he has tattoos and stuff. But he's proving himself and my parents are slowly realising it."

 

"But Manuel's parents doesn't accept me because I'm a guy. I can't change into a woman." Benni replied.

 

"Actually you can, but that's not the point." said Mats, who tries to put a light heart. "They are just not use to homosexuals now. But I'm sure one day they'll accept you for who you are."

 

***

 

Benni is browsing for his mom's birthday gift in the mall when he heard someone arguing. He turns around to find out the situation. He sees Mrs Neuer arguing with another woman for a bag. Both women keep on tugging the bag, neither of them is willing to let go of it. The younger woman yanks and causes Mrs Neuer to fall down. The woman left Mrs Neuer on the floor and walks to the cashier. Benni quickly comes forward to help Mrs Neuer get up.

 

"Ugh... Youngsters nowadays are just rude." said Mrs Neuer as she pierces her eyes to the young woman. She turns to Benni and thank him. "Oh, thank you, Benedikt. You're so kind. Unlike someone. But she does look familiar though. Hmm... Where did I see her from?"

 

"Maybe from the magazines? I think she's Manuel's ex-girlfriend." Benni replied.

 

Benni walks forward to demand the young woman an apology for Mrs Neuer. At first the young woman refuses. Benni then threatens her by making a police report and telling the press about it. He even tells the woman that he has recorded a video. The young woman has no choice but to apologise because she doesn't want to have a bad image in social media. Mrs Neuer glances to Benni and nods with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a slightly longer chapter. I hope the characters are portrayed well.
> 
> It's so hazy right now. Thank goodness I could stay home. See you in the next chapter! Hopefully it will be done during the weekend.


	11. The Romantic Getaway With Benni Bear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Manuel takes Benni to Italy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've added the last paragraph in the last chapter to make it more complete.
> 
> Warning: A little adult content

Benni gazes with a smile at his lover who is sleeping soundly beside him. It is Benni's favourite moment of the day. He enjoys watching Manuel's eyes shut softly, the gorgeous features of the face and tone abs. And hearing Manuel's peaceful breathing is soothing to his ears. It wasn't like this in the past. Manuel used to toss and turn around the bed a lot. Benni thought that is Manuel's sleeping habit, but it turns out that it's not.

 

Everything went smoothly after Benni and Manuel's parents approve of their relationship. Manuel starts to open his heart to Benni, which is something he hasn't been doing during their first year of dating. He used to keep any unhappy events away from Benni, even the time he was coming out. Benni gave him affection during that dark period but he still refuse to tell anything to his lover. Benni encourages him to say out his feelings whenever the goalkeeper isn't feeling good. He wants be his pillar of strength and share Manuel's pain. After telling about Benni about his parent's story, Manuel starts to share everything with Benni. Though Benni couldn't solve most of the problems, Manuel felt better after sharing it with Benni.

 

Benni has changed during this period too. He has stopped reading tabloids about Manuel. He has learned to trust Manuel wholeheartedly and became more confident in their relationship. Manuel helps to ease his doubts too. The Schalke goalkeeper would update him more often about his happenings. Sometimes it was so frequent, Benni thinks Manuel's updates are just to annoy him.

 

_Bae: I miss you, Bear_

_Bae: Benni, we are playing football tennis today :)_

_Bae: I'm eating chicken breast again. I wish they have more variety D:_

_Bae: I'm in the toilet._

_Bae: Thomas is so noisy. I wish there is an 'off' button._

_Bae: Mr Löw is giving a long ass speech again. Zzz..._

_Bae: I'm going to sleep. Hope to see you in the dreams! :D_

_Bae: I love you! <3_

 

Benni's confidence shows, especially on the bed. Mats has told him some tips and Google helps a lot too. Benni would tease Manuel by rubbing his beau's inner thigh, making suggestive eye contact or slowly licks his lips to arouse the Schalke star. He would then pretend to do something normal as if nothing has just happened. Manuel always fell for them, just like he expected. Benni would try different foreplay and sex positions with Manuel to spice up their relationship.

 

"Since when did you become so naughty, Benni?" asked Manuel as he breathes heavily.

 

"Do you like this Benni, baby?" said Benni, giving him a lopsided smile.

 

"Oh, I love it!" said Manuel and he smooches his boyfriend.

 

***

 

Another year has past right before their eyes. Summer has arrived and it is Benni's graduation day. Manuel arrives Benni's flat early with a camera and a big graduation bear. He knocks the door and Mario opens it. Everyone in the flat is frantic about graduation. They want to look perfect on their most important day of their lives. Benni is having problems fixing the hood to his gown. Manuel puts down the bear to help his lover.

 

"Let me help you." said Manuel as he holds Benni's hand to get the pin and hood from his boyfriend. Then only he realises he has no idea how to fix it. He himself never even wore it before. "Erm... how is it suppose to look like?" 

 

Benni doesn't know how to explain to Manuel. He turns his head around and sees Mats already had his full attire on. He says "Just refer Mats."

 

Manuel fix the hood on and put the mortar board to Benni's head. He grins to Benni. Benni looks super adorable in the black graduation gown. Manuel couldn't believed his beau is going to be graduated soon. It seems like they only known each other for a month and now Benni is graduating. Benni, Mats, Marco and Mario's family came shortly and the flat became too crowded. Everyone walk to the hall for the ceremony. Manuel sits with Benni's parents. They chat while waiting for the ceremony to start. Manuel gets his camera ready to snap some photos. The goalkeeper feels proud when Benni receives the scroll. He almost cried.

 

When the graduation ceremony ends, it is time for fun. Mats, Benni, Marco, Mario and some of their course mates throw their mortar board to the air. It's also the photo bombing session. Graduates keep having their photos taken with their family and friends. Manuel didn't disguise himself today so he got recognised by the public. As soon as one of the graduates recognises him, everyone starts gushing about Manuel. The girls squeal and call him, trying to get his attention. More and more people request to take photos with him. Manuel agrees to all of them. Most of them shove their phones and camera to Benni as he's standing next to Manuel. After taking a number of photos, Manuel glances to Benni. His boyfriend's face was smiling, but it gradually became sour. Benni has probably stood there taking photos for quite a while now. Manuel looks at the time and says to the other graduates

 

"Okay everyone, one last group photo!"

 

Everyone gets ready with their phones and cameras and snap them for the last time. Manuel calls Benni to join in the photo shoot, pulling his arm to stand right next to him. After taking the photos, Manuel walks with Benni. He notices Benni isn't as cheerful as he normally is. Manuel suspected it's probably because of the long photo session they had just now.

 

"Are you angry?" asked Manuel.

 

"No." Benni replied in a nonchalant tone.

 

"Then what is it?" Manuel asked.

 

"Nothing. I'm just tired and hungry. Let's eat Italian today." Benni suggested. It's been a long day for the younger man and his stomach is growling. He has been up since 6am today and only had a piece of bread for breakfast. All Benni could think of are food and a bed. Not sure which one he wants more.

 

"Hmm... let's eat German food today, shall we? We're going to Italy next week, as your graduation gift. Don't say no, I've already bought the tickets." said Manuel.

 

There's still one thing didn't change. Benni is still reluctant to receive expensive gifts from Manuel. Occasional nice dinners are okay, but he doesn't take any of the lavish gifts that Manuel gives him. Knowing that Benni wouldn't want Manuel to pay for his share, Manuel came out with a plan that Benni couldn't refuse. 

 

"What? When did you buy it? But you said the graduation bear is my gift." Benni exclaimed.

 

"Well, that's part of the package." Manuel replied.

 

"That's cheating!" said Benni.

 

"Yeah. I even consider about kidnapping too if you still refuse to go." Manuel replied with a grin.

 

"Well, okay. Just this time only." said Benni.

 

***

 

"First class???" Benni exclaimed as he got his flight tickets. A number of people in Düsseldorf airport look at Benni's direction. Benni thought they are going to fly in economy class. 

 

"Yeah. Can you hold my passport for a while?" Manuel answered. The Schalke star makes it seem like it's an ordinary thing to fly first class. He bends down to tie his shoe laces.

 

"What hotel are we staying? And how much did you spend on this trip? Manu, you told me that this is a backpacking trip!" Benni asked.

 

"We're backpacking in style. Let's not talk about money, okay?" Manuel replied. He kisses Benni to stop his boyfriend from rambling about the budget. Benni is distracted by Manuel's kiss and forgets about the spending budget.

 

This is the first time Benni flies with first class, which is truly an eye opening experience for the young man. There is a personal assistant waiting for them at the foyer. She accompanies them throughout the journey, taking care all the formalities like security and baggage. There is an exclusive lounge area with warm leather sofas and little snacks on the table. The choices of newspapers and magazines are wide. They have German, English and few other foreign language ones. There is even a nice buffet with varities of meals. The varieties of drinks are mind blowing. Benni couldn't decide on which drink, so Manuel chooses one for him instead. Even the bathroom robe is extra fluffy. Benni glances around the room with wide eyes, mouth slightly parted. First class really is a different life.

 

First class customers get to hop in the plane first. Benni couldn't be more happier in this aspect. That means no stupid queues. He spends his 2 hours flight experimenting the super spacious seat, flipping though the movie selection and browsing the wine selection. There is also complimentary chocolates given to him. Manuel thought he would use the internet service, but watching his beau is more entertaining. However, there is a downside to first class flight. Benni is sitting too far away from him. Maybe he should get business class tickets next time.

 

When they landed at Fiumicino - Leonardo Da Vinci International airport, they begin to sweat excessively. Italy is much hotter than they expected. The first thing they do is find themselves a taxi to the hotel. They unload their baggage, have a quick shower and head to dinner.

 

Manuel and Benni take out a map and start to navigate. The streets look all the same and everything is in Italian, soon they find themselves lost. Manuel tries asking for directions in English, but the reply he got are all in Italian. Manuel and Benni wish they could understand Italian. Finally, they decided to stop at a restaurant with a Tripadvisor sticker on the front door.

 

Fortunately, Benni and Manuel have eaten some Italian dishes before, at least they could understand the menu. The restaurant isn't big, but it has a nice homey feeling. It has brick walls, wooden table, wooden chairs and red/white checkered table cloths. Manuel and Benni are happy to find this little gem. Manuel orders Linguine Carbonara and Benni orders Spaghetti Aglio E Olio.

 

As soon as the dishes are served, Benni has come out with an idea. He always wanted to mimic a scene from his favourite movie since he was a little boy. Now that he has a boyfriend and they are now eating noodles, it is the perfect moment. He raises his eyebrow to Manuel. Manuel furrows his brows, wondering what his boyfriend is up to.

 

"Lady and the Tramp." Benni whispered to his ear. Manuel remembered that movie. They watched a couple of times together. Both guys giggle like little girls at the restaurant but the people there didn't seem to bother. Benni tries taking a piece of the pasta noodle and puts one end of it to his mouth, and Manuel puts the other end in his mouth. They both start slurping the noodle and Manuel starts to giggle and burst into laughter as soon as he accidentally snaps the noodle. They try again and Benni drops the noodle before they even start slurping. After a few attempts, they slowly get the hang of it. Both guys slurp the noodle slowly and carefully until their lips met. Benni scoot closer to Manuel, pulling his boyfriend's head with one hand and continue to kiss.

 

***

 

Italy is a nice escape from reality and their busy life back in Germany. It is definitely fun and free for the young men. They don't need to worry about being recognised. Nobody here knows about Manuel Neuer. They could speak loathsome romantic phrases to each other in German and no one would have any idea what they're talking. Manuel grabs Benni's waist and swings him around. Both guys fool around at the city, taking pictures of themselves and visit those must-do tourist attractions such as Colosseum, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Cinque Terre and Vatican City.

 

When they reach The Grand Canal, a bunch of gondoliers approach them and every one of them convinces the young men to ride their gondola with different ways in Italian. Some offer lower price, some offer better quality gondolas. Benni couldn't understand even when they speak English as the locals speak in very thick Italian accents. He makes sign languages with them, hopefully the communication doesn't get lost in translation. Manuel and Benni couldn't agree on which gondolier to take. Benni keeps on haggling the price but Manuel afraid they will end up with a shorter ride. He wants to make sure they get a nice and slow ride.

 

"Hey, I can sing." said one of the gondoliers in English. Benni and Manuel look at the gondolier, then look at each other and smile. Looks like they have finally found their gondolier. The men hop on and the gondolier starts rowing. He sings 'O Sole Mio' during their gondola ride. The gondolier has a very subtle opera voice, which is very fitting to the wonderful sunset in the city of Venice. Benni and Manuel cuddle each other, watching the wonderful old fashion architectures that surrounds them. The quiet, relaxing streets of Venice is luscious. It is a spectacular feeling for both Benni and Manuel whenever they kiss under a bridge. A little girl even waves to them. Benni and Manuel wave back to her. When the sun sets and the lights begin to light up, Benni feels the whole city became melancholy and beautiful at the same time. Benni and Manuel's souls are lost in the beautiful and quiet city.

 

And then they are literary lost again. But thankfully they met someone that could speak English and managed to get back to their hotel.

 

After having a shower, Benni and Manuel get on the bed. They cuddle each other, eyes gazing at each other, legs tangled with each other. Both guys have a heavy heart as tomorrow is the final day of their trip. They are going back to Germany after breakfast.

 

"I love you." said Benni.

 

"I love you first." said Manuel with a grin.

 

"But I love you more." said Benni with a smile.

 

"No, you don't. I've said it more often than you." Manuel countered him grin.

 

"I've said it 1056 times while you only said it 683 times." said Benni.

 

"Really? Guess I need to level it up. IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou...." Manuel said.

 

Benni giggles for a while and then counters him back with a non-stop 'l love you'. Both guys keep on saying 'I love you' until they are out of breath. They gasp for air, take a big gulp of water and laugh at each others' silliness. Suddenly the room becomes quiet for a while until Benni starts talking.

 

"Bae, can we stay here forever?" 

 

"Argh... I hope so too, bear. But our lives are in Germany. And besides, we can't speak Italian." said Manuel.

 

"Sigh, I wish we have a time stopping machine." Benni replied.

 

"Me too, bear, me too." said Manuel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm filling some fluff after all those sorrow chapters XD I hope this chapter is alright. Italy to me is a romantic place with delicious food and soothing opera music :)


	12. Benni Bear's Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Manuel found out Benni's love letter

Benni has moved out from the flat after graduation and got himself his own place. He is actually living opposite to Manuel right now, just close enough to see and meet his boyfriend every day but far enough to stay away from the public eye. They are waiting for the right time to tell the world about their relationship but right now they are just comfortable with themselves. Benni has a new furry friend living with him. A Corgi to be exact. It was given to him as a Christmas present and it has brought Benni bundles of joy when Manuel is playing away games. Benni wishes he could attend every game, but having a full-time job prevents him from doing so.

 

Benni is the first one among his friends to secure a job. He is now working at a bank as an Operational Executive. It isn't his dream job, but it could fill his tummy, pay his student loan and have occasional nice gadgets. He plans to buy a car as soon as possible. Benni hates going to work. The office environment and the work itself are so mundane, Benni struggles to keep himself awake in the office. Thank goodness he has a colleague named Lisa who still able to crack a joke or two. If it isn't for Lisa, Benni probably couldn't stand the daily 8 hours of robotic life. Benni isn't a fan of formal wear either. He thinks it's boring and uncomfortable. Manuel likes to tease him for being too uptight whenever he dresses formally for work.

 

On the bright side, Benni finally able to pay for his boyfriend's dinner at a fine dining restaurant. And Manuel letting him pay makes him proud of himself. It used to be McDonalds, Pizza Hut or anything from the café, as that was all he could afford from working at the café. He still remembers the first time he treats Manuel cakes from the café. It was a little excuse to meet Manuel.

 

"Did you buy all these?" asked Manuel in disbelief. His eyes widen, looking at the cakes in awe. It's almost like Christmas. There are 8 different types of cakes on the table, each with different flavours. Chocolate, cheese, cappuccino, lemon, red velvet, nuts, chocolate cheese and banana. They all look delicious and Manuel couldn't wait to dive in.

 

"No, they are just leftovers." Benni accidentally slipped out the truth. He realises it and quickly adds

 

"Oh no, I don't mean to feed you with leftovers. I mean... they would throw them anyway. But they are freshly baked today, I promise!"

 

Manuel chuckles as he sees an anxious Benni. He replies "I was going to ask you if you managed to get staff discounts for these, but free food is awesome. Let's not put it to waste, shall we?"

 

Benni is relieved to hear Manuel's reply. He rests his head on his palm and watches Manuel eats the cakes with a smile. Manuel chooses the banana cake, cuts it into half and shares it with Benni.

 

***

  

"You're reading?" asked Benni when he arrives the buffet restaurant with Manuel. He couldn't believe what he just saw. Marco is reading a book. Benni has never seen Marco open a book by voluntary, even during exam periods. Marco Reus, the rebellious guy who skips lectures and drive around without a licence is now reading a book. Benni takes a closer look to the book. Marco is reading Mats' favourite book 'Wait For Me'. It seems like Mats has made a good influence to Marco after all. 

 

"Yeah." Marco replied as if it's a normal thing.

 

"But you never read." said Benni.

 

"Well, I am now." Marco replied. Benni just smiles to Marco, delighted to know that love could make wonderful changes to people. Thank goodness the influence isn't the other way around. Imagine Mats with tattoos and piercings. Benni shrugs off the thoughts and sits down.

 

Mats hands a box full of items to Benni. Benni is surprised when he sees the box. It is mostly textbooks, stationaries and notes from his Uni days. Benni thought it was lost in transition when they move out from the flat, but it was Mats who mistakenly took it. And it took Mats a year to open the box and realise the contents doesn't belong to him.

 

"I'm sorry, Benni. I thought it was my box." Mats apologies.

 

"It's okay. I don't think there are any important things in it anyway." Benni replied as he accepts the box from Mats. He digs through the box to see the contents.

 

The young men are having a gathering at a buffet restaurant, catching up with each other's happenings in life. Mats has decided to work for his dad after having a year of working holiday at New Zealand. Mario is pursuing an acting career. He received a supporting role for a TV show. Marco, however, isn't doing much. He jumped from one job to another. Benni thinks it would be best for Marco to work in Mr Hummel's company. At least Mats could take care of him and keep him grounded. But Mats is a bit concern about having conflicts between working and their relationship. But Benni assures him that it wouldn't be a big issue as Marco isn't the same guy as he used to be anymore.

 

"I'm getting ice cream. Do you guys want some?" Benni asked. He turns to Manuel and winks at him. "I know you want it."

 

Manuel just smiles at him and nods. Marco and Mario follow Benni to grab some ice cream. Only Mats and Manuel are left at the table. Mats looks at Benni and starts to laugh before talking to Manuel.

 

"He's such a good kisser. You're one lucky brat."

 

"Excuse me, you're the lucky brat that got a lucky kiss from my boy." Manuel shot back.

 

"You got this yourself." Mats countered him.

 

"I was framed, okay?" Manuel defended.

 

Mats chuckles at Manuel and says "So have you thought of tying the knot?"

 

"Well... no. Not yet." Manuel replied.

 

Mats smiles and gives a letter to Manuel. Manuel is puzzled by it. He just stares at the letter in front if him. Mats nudges him to take the letter and says

 

"Hide it before Benni sees it."

 

"What is it?" Manuel asked as he slips the letter into his pocket.

 

"A love letter Benni wrote to you. Well, not to you in exact. He hasn't met you at that time. During the first year of Uni, we used to write these silly letters to our future spouse. We were bored and stupid but anyway, I'm sure most of us have different views now. I know mine has, but somebody hasn't." Mats said.

 

"Who? Benni?" asked Manuel.

 

"Yup." Mats replied with a smile.

 

***

 

After sending Benni back home, Manuel takes out the letter from his pocket. He wonders what Benni could have written in the letter before he even knew Manuel himself. Feeling curious, he opens the letter. It is a short letter written in a tidy handwriting with blue ink.

 

_Dear future husband,_

_I'm not sure if I ever get to meet you, but I hope I do. Maybe you are just passing by me, or you're far away in another country. But I know you exist somewhere in this world. I hope you could find your way to my heart because I've been waiting my whole life to meet you. Maybe you are impatiently waiting for me too. It's funny that I often think about you. I wonder how you look like, who you are, what you do in life and how you sound like. I want to know about your family, your favourite food, what turns you on and what tickles your funny bone. I hope you like Manuel Neuer because I often picture of you as him. Manuel is like a hero to me, someone that will always protect me from danger. And I know you would do the same for me too._

_If we do get to meet, I promise that I will love you no matter what happens and accept you for who you are. I will take care of your meals and wardrobe. I want to hang out with you every day, play tennis or football in the summer, ski in the winter, and share funny pictures with you. I want to share my dreams and joy with you, be a part of your friends and family. I will take your hand and fight every obstacle with you, cure your sorrows and pain. I hope to wake up one day to see your smile, play with your messy hair and kiss your lips. I would listen to your heartbeat and sing stupid love songs to you all day long. I will also tell you that I love you every single day._

_Til our path meets, I will be here patiently waiting for you. But if you could, please give me some hints so I'm able to find you easier. :)_

_Love,_

_Benni_

_xoxo_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is inspired by my one shot 'Dear Future Husband'.
> 
> If you are wondering why I mention 'Wait For Me' for a few times, well that is the title for my next fic =)


	13. Life Starts with Benni Bear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Manuel's day of Life Starts After 6pm

**6.00am**

_"It's a beautiful day_

_Sky falls, you feel like_

_It's a beautiful day_

_Don't let it get away"_

 

*tap*

 

Manuel opens his eyes wide open as soon as his alarm went off. He stretches his limbs and gets up from his bed. The Schalke star feels fresh as he opens the window and breathes the fresh air from the wind blowing into his room. He slept 8 hours last night, which gives him enough time to recharge his energy for the evening match. Manuel stretches his neck from side to side and then stretches his arms. He could hear the bird chirping sounds from the nearby park. Manuel smiles because he has a feeling that today will be a great day. He grabs his training outfit from the wardrobe and heads to the bathroom. After freshening up and changed his clothes, Manuel opens his drawer and takes out a little black box. He opens the little box that contains a shiny little diamond ring. Manuel smiles to the box and closes it before putting it into his bag pack. After checking the keys, phone, wallet and other necessaries, Manuel heads to the door.

 

The goalkeeper enters his brand new Audi and notices a sticky note that sticks firmly on his steering wheel. It is written with the words 'I love you'. Benni has probably stuck it before he goes back home last night. Manuel smiles to the note and chucks it into the drawer before starting the engine. He turns on the radio and keep switching the stations back and forth as none of the stations have good songs. What the hell happened to the music these days? Manuel switches off the radio and opens the Bluetooth to sync the songs from his phone. When the song 'Open Arms' came out, Manuel cranks up the volume. 

 

As Manuel drives pass a particular street, he glances to the shop lots. It reminds him the day he met Benni. It was 5 years ago, but it still feels like it happened not too long ago. Before Manuel met Benni, his life is already better than the average 22-year-old guys. His career is doing very well. Manuel is actually living in his own dream. He plays in the highest German league and he is also the first goalkeeper of his National team. But his life lacks something important, something called companion. Sure, he has loving parents and siblings, great teammates that he could call them friends, but when it comes to love life, it isn't something to be proud of. The Schalke star couldn't sustain a relationship for more than 6 months. Sometimes he thinks it would be better to be single. 

 

When Benni came into his life, everything has changed. Manuel feels more relax being with the young man. He doesn't have to be the hero and having to meet any expectations. Benni doesn't demand anything from him. His beau is always caring and attentive, making sure Manuel is happy and loved. Benni isn't whiny or demanding like his ex-girlfriend. Sometimes Manuel would voice out his frustrations about his bad game but Benni would never ever complain about it. His boyfriend would always be patient with him, tries his best to cheer the goalkeeper up, making him forget all the unhappy incidents. Manuel is just thankful to have Benni beside him. 

 

**6.50am**

Manuel reaches the training ground, just in time for breakfast. There are salads, fruits, cereal, milk at the table. Manuel chooses to eat some cereal with milk. He also grabs a couple of bananas to go with it. He has his breakfast with his teammates at a long table. They chat about the latest music and movies with other players, bantering about each others music tastes. Just before the training starts, he sends a text message to Benni.

 

_Manuel: Guten Morgen, Benni bear! Can't wait to see you tonight! XOXO_

_Benni bear: I wish it's Abend instead of Morgen. By the way, I love you first ;)_

_Bae: Nein, I will always love you first! I told you first :P_

 

**7.45am**

The warm up session has started. The players do some stretching and simple training. Normally the training session is more relaxed on a match day. They have made the full skills preparation in the usual days, and today is the time to get their body, mind and soul ready for the derby. Today, the Schalke team is going against Borussia Dortmund at their home stadium. Everyone looks relax on the outside but nervous in the inside. It's always the case whenever it's a derby. Manuel tries his best to relax and get ready for the match. He tries not to think about the match and just focus on training.

 

**12.33pm**

Manuel takes out his phone and records a short video about his progress to Benni at the training ground, keeping his beau updated.

 

"Counting down for the game. Six hours to go. I wish you were here. Love you, Benni Bear."

 

After sending the video to Benni, he adjusts his alarm and takes a short nap in the players lounge. He remembers the day Benni kisses him for the first time. It was during the beginning of their relationship. Manuel lets Benni drives his car as he was too tired after a football game. As they reached Benni's flat, Manuel felt wet soft lips on his cheek. Benni probably thinks he has fallen asleep and secretly kisses him. But Manuel is just having a shut eye. He pretends to sleep until Benni wakes him up. 

 

"Manu, Manu..."

 

"Yes, Benni Bear?" Manuel replied as he slowly open his eyes.

 

"Erm...  Sorry to disappoint, I'm not your Benni Bear. It's almost time for training, captain." Julian said.

 

"Oh." Manuel uttered. He picks up his phone and checks his alarm and time. It is 1.25pm. Manuel has mistakenly set his alarm to 1.20am. No wonder the alarm doesn't go off.

 

"Hey, good luck." Julian said, giving him a wink before leaving the room.

 

**1.30pm**

Manuel continues to train with his goalkeeping coach. He practices his shot-stopping skills, stopping 97% of the balls shooting towards the goal. The coach praises him for doing an excellent job and able to maintain his normal abilities. Manuel feels more confident as the match time approaches.

 

**3.00pm**

It is lunchtime and Manuel goes to the canteen with his teammates. Today, they are having pasta and tuna, a little bit lighter than their usual lunch. Manuel takes out his phone and taps on a folder named 'Christmas'. He slowly scrolls through the photos, smiling by himself while enjoying the beautiful pictures.

 

It was Christmas eve, Manuel and Benni spend the day together as a couple. They pick a tree from the farm and decorate it with candles, little ornaments and ribbons beside the fireplace. The men open their presents at the evening after dinner. Manuel gave a little Corgi to Benni as a companion. Benni is delighted to have an adorable little puppy as a Christmas gift. Benni got him a watch, which Benni also have the same one himself. It looks quite expensive. Manuel wonders how long it took his beau to buy the watches.

 

They spend the night playing with their new furry friend which Benni named 'Angel'. Angel turns out to be an intelligent little puppy. It only took her a few attempts to learn a new trick. Benni has successfully trained her to sit in one night. But she still hasn't been potty trained yet, leaving a few marks at the living room. Manuel and Benni keep on cleaning the floor throughout the night. Before going to bed, Manuel places Angel on a pet bed at the corner of the living room. But Angel is too scared to sleep alone, whimpering the whole night, crying for attention. Benni's heart is wretched, he wakes up and comfort her, stroking her to sleep. But as soon as Benni leaves the living room, Angel starts to whimper again. The Corgi ended up sleeping on the bed with them.  

 

**4.13pm**

Manuel is in the physiotherapy room getting his body massaged when his phone rings. The physiotherapist stops massaging him as soon as the phone rings. Manuel picks up the phone and it is his mom. Mrs Neuer calls him to give her son some encouragement for his upcoming game. She also asks her son to come for dinner tomorrow night with Benni. It reminds him of the first time his mom asks him to bring Benni home for dinner.

 

"Manuel, can you ask Benni to come for dinner?" said Mrs Neuer.

 

"What?" Manuel asked.

 

"Benedikt. Your Benni? Well, don't tell me that you're broken up with him." Mrs Neuer continued.

 

"Yes... No. I mean, I'm still with Benni. Mom, what happened?" Manuel stumbled with words. His mind is a mess right now. Mom? Benni? Dinner? He didn't see this coming at all.

 

"Well, it's a long story. To cut it short, I want to thank him for helping me the other day at the mall. He even fixed the fence for us too." Mrs Neuer replied. Manuel's brain is still struggling to register the fact that his mom is asking Benni for dinner at her house. And apparently Benni has fixed the fence that mom asked him to fix since god knows when. She continues. "Does Benni like lamb chops?"

 

"Yeah, lamb chop is fine." Manuel replied.

 

To be honest Manuel is dumbfounded by the phone call. He isn't sure whether to be happy or scared with this news. At one point he even suspects this whole thing is a trap set by his parents. Benni has not mentioned anything regarding the mall incident or fixing the fence, and he just couldn't believe how his parents could change their views in such a short period. When he talks to Benni about the dinner, Benni assures him that everything will be alright. It turns out that Manuel's parents have accepted his sexuality and also Benni. It was Benni's heart and soul that moved Mr and Mrs Neuer. 

 

**5.18pm**

Manuel and his teammates chill at the players lounge, setting a good mood for the match. Every player has a unique way to prepare for the match. Some of the players listen to songs while others chat with each other. There are also some that have unique rituals and superstitions too. Manuel just sits at the corner and shuts his eyes. Suddenly, a flashback came into his mind. 

 

"Benni, do you like me? I mean not the Manuel on the football field, but Manuel as a person."

 

Manuel asks the question to Benni. He has been wondering about it for a while but haven't found the suitable time to ask Benni. Although they have started dating, but Benni is still just as reserved as the first few times they met. That night Manuel drives Benni home after the movies. He was driving extremely slow that night, but it still feels like a blink of an eye as they arrive Benni's flat. Manuel stops the car and looks at Benni. His beau looks like he doesn't want to leave the car. The younger man still sits at the passenger seat, waiting for Manuel to ask him stay. He glances to Manuel, but the goalkeeper just keep quiet. Benni just sits quietly, shift his eyes left to right for few times, his hands grip tightly to the seat belt, but he doesn't release it. It was a long awkward silence until Manuel decided to break it with that question. Benni keeps quiet for a while, blinking his eyes a few times before turning his head. His eyes are full of determination when he looks at Manuel and starts babbling 

 

"Yes. I love you. I love Manuel Neuer as a person. I love the kind, sweet, charming, intelligent..."

 

"Shhh... stop talking." Manuel whispered. He looks at Benni straight to the eyes and slowly leans forward. Benni shrugs his shoulders, grips the seat belt tighter than he already is. His heart races a million miles an hour, almost passing out. Manuel slightly tilts his head, close his eyes and slides his mouth to Benni's lower lip. It was their first kiss. Benni felt a lot more relaxed after the kiss. 

 

**6.30pm**

Manuel and the other players line up at the tunnel, getting ready for the derby against Borussia Dortmund. When the staff signals, Manuel leads the team into the football field. The stadium is decorated with a nice blue wave at the crowd stands. People are chanting the Schalke theme song. Manuel looks for Benni in the crowd. He see Benni's smile and mouths the words 'I love you' to his boyfriend. Benni replied him with a love hand gesture.

 

**7.00pm**

The game has finally started. The first few minutes of the game is already intense as the opponent attacks them vigorously. But Manuel managed to defend the goal along with his defenders. He managed to clear a couple of free kicks in the first half with ease. At the 22nd minute, the opponent's striker tried to score but Manuel closes the angle of the shot, causing the ball to go wide. Everything seems alright until Manuel collides with one of the opponent's midfielder at the 36th minute. The midfielder raises his arms high up to reach the ball, and elbows Manuel's head. Manuel fell down to the floor. The referee stops the game and the medical staff rush to the football field. It is indeed a painful hit from the opponent. Manuel tries to get up from the ground. He feels dizzy but managed to sit down. The paramedics check his condition, deciding whether he could continue play or not. Manuel's teammates are standing nearby, concerning their captain's condition. They talk very loudly. And then there are loud noises from the crowd too. Manuel just wants to shut everyone up. Knowing that his own condition, the goalkeeper gets up after a minute, gives a thumbs-up to his teammates signaling that he's okay. The paramedics allow him to continue. The crowd claps for Manuel as a sign of encouragement and the game resumes. The captain feels better and he has confidence that he is able to play. 

 

**8.00pm**

The first half has finally ended, with both teams having a goalless draw. Manuel isn't happy with the result, but he could only hope for the best on the second half. The players head to the locker room to rest. The coach talks to the players about their performances and a new strategy for the second half. As soon as the break ends, the players go back to the field. Manuel looks at Benni and smiles to his boyfriend. Benni tries his hardest to smile back. The referee blows the whistle, signaling the start of the second half. They changed the strategy from defense to offense. Manuel gives instructions and support to his teammates, and his teammates are motivated by it. The defense became tighter and the offense players rose to the occasion. After 15 minutes entering the second half, Julian Draxler kicks the ball into the back of the net. It's 1-0 to Schalke. The other Schalke players run to Julian and congratulate him.

 

**9.10pm**

The game has ended with a 1-0, with Schalke wins by a goal. After the Dortmund players congratulate the Schalke players, Manuel and his teammates walk to the changing room with smiles on their faces. The Schalke players couldn't stop talking about the game at the changing room.

 

"Manu, your boy is here." said Julian.

 

Manuel turns around as soon as he heard his name. He sees an excited Benni running towards him and jumps. Manuel catches his boyfriend with his strong arms as Benni hugs him tightly.

 

"You'll never grow up, do you?" Manuel said to his boyfriend. 

 

"Nope. I won't." Benni replied with a grin. 

 

Manuel lets Benni down. He gently kisses Benni on the forehead. Benni slowly strokes Manuel's forehead. The young man asks, "How is your head?"

 

"It's fine now." Manuel answers with a smile. He continues "Wait here, Benni. I need to take a quick shower."

 

Manuel walks away and takes some clothes before heading to the shower. After a quick shower, he packs his belongings into a black colour bag and goes off with Benni. Benni offers to drive and Manuel lets him. It is the first time Benni drives this car. The younger man gazes the car interiors with a wide smile. Manuel can see that Benni loves the car very much. He offers to give the car to Benni, but Benni turns down the offer. Manuel sighs. Benni quickly changes the topic to the game to distract him. Manuel lowers down the passenger seat and relaxes while Benni drives the car. He talks about the game until he becomes tired and slowly falls asleep in the car. 

 

He remembers there was a time when a fan recognises him on the street with Benni. He just smiles to the fan and says

 

"I'm sorry, I wish I'm Manuel but I'm not. Anyway thanks for the compliment."

 

"BEEEEEEEEEEPPPP!!!"

 

Manuel is shocked by the car horn sound. He wakes up with his eyes opened wide. He asks "What happened?"

 

"Nothing. Some people are just rude." Benni replied, referring to the car horn from the back. 

 

**10.24pm**

Finally, Benni and Manuel have reached Manuel's house. Benni places his bag on the sofa and sits beside it. Manuel heads to the fridge and grabs some ice cream from the freezer. He scoops few scoops to a big bowl and sits with Benni. They flirt with each other and kiss in their dessert session. Manuel then asks Benni to dance with him. He dims the lights and turns on the stereo, dancing with a song called 'Open Arms'. Benni wraps his arms around Manuel's shoulder while Manuel wraps his on Benni's waist, and they dance around with the song with eyes glued to each other. Benni then leans his body slightly to Manuel's body to feel Manuel's heartbeat. Manuel waits for the perfect opportunity to talk.

 

"Benni," Manuel said.

 

"Hmm?" Benni murmured as he looks at Manuel's blue sapphire eyes.

 

"It's been 5 years since we first met." Manuel said.

 

"It's 5 years 3 months and 21 days." Benni corrected him. 

 

"Erm... anyway..." Manuel said sheepishly. He is embarrassed by his own mistake. Stupid stupid Manuel. How stupid can you be messing up with something like this? But Manuel doesn't give up and continues. "I'm blessed that you've walked into my life. With you there is no pressure. I can be my own self without worrying about anything. You are always so kind, so understanding and you never demand anything. I feel so comfortable when I'm around you. You complete my imperfections."

 

Manuel goalkeeper takes out a tiny box from his pocket and opens it. The little diamond ring is the shiniest thing that Benni has ever seen.

 

"Benedikt Höwedes, would you marry me?"

 

"Yes, I do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter is a big challenge for me. I hope I didn't screw up anything here. I'm tired right now... but I'm so glad I finally finish the chapter!!!


	14. My Happily Ever After with Benni Bear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Manuel and Benni's future.

Benni is sweating vigorously at the crowd stands with his friend Lisa. The heat in Rio de Janeiro has crept into him. The hot weather isn't what Benni is used to, but it is still nothing compared to the heat within his soul. His burning soul is hoping for Manuel to win this game. He creases his forehead, bites his lower lip and clenches his fist every time the ball hits towards the goal. Benni is super nervous today as this is probably the most important game in Manuel's career. After all, how often do you get to play in the World Cup final? Benni looks at his watch. It is now entering the 110th minute of the game, but the game still remains a goalless draw. Argentina is definitely a force to be reckoned with. Both teams are attacking and defending well, they have equal chances and misses, the game could easily go either way. At this point, Benni is pretty sure that the game will go to the penalty kick off. But he certainly doesn't want to. Penalty kicks highly depend on luck. Sure, there are some skills and tricks you can master, you could study the statistics and all, but penalties are very unpredictable and luck still plays a big part nonetheless. And on top of that 50% of the chances falls on the goalkeeper. That gives Manuel added pressure to the game. Benni is praying for Manuel and his National Team to score before the whistle blows. But at this moment, only a miracle could save them. 

 

Suddenly, with seven minutes left in the game, a German midfielder crosses a ball to his striker teammate on the right. The striker receives the ball with two touches and kicks it into the net.

 

"GOAL!!!"

 

The crowd roars as Germany finally scores. Lisa is jumping up and down, screaming and waving her hands to the camera. Benni is a step slower to realise his happenings. He was spaced out from the long goalless game and only joins in when the crowd cheer. His refuses to believe it was a goal when it happened as the previous goals were denied due to offside and hitting the goal post.

 

"That... that was a goal?" he asked Lisa.

 

"Yes! Yes, Benni! It's a goal! It's a goal!" Lisa exclaimed happily.

 

Benni felt a little relieved. He wanted to be happy like Lisa too. But he couldn't let loose and party now. Not yet. The game still hasn't ended. The opponent could score one too, it could tie up and then everything will go back to square one. He looks at his watch back and forth, praying that the whistle will blow anytime. But time seems to slow down since the goal. Benni's heart beat raises fast, so fast that he feels like it will fall out anytime soon. The game is now exceeded the given extra time, but the referee still hasn't blown the whistle. 

 

"End the game! End the game dammit!" Benni muttered silently. 

 

The opponent's striker is awarded a free kick. This is it. It is the moment where they'll make it or break it. The Argentinian striker prepares to kick and it ended up heading south way. Benni lets out a huge breath. The referee blows the final whistle and the game has finally ended with Germany scoring 1-0 over Argentina. They did it. Germany finally won the World Cup after 24 years. Manuel and his teammates are now world champions. The crowd cheers crazily for them. Benni tries to register the fact that his country has just won the World Cup. Lisa, on the other hand, is already chanting and taking pictures with the other fans. She pulls him over for a hug. 

 

"We won! Germany has won, Benni! Germany has won!" she said.

 

"Yeah." Benni replied. "We did!"

 

Lisa came to Brazil a week ago with Benni. She demands him to bring her to the finals as a compensation for keeping his relationship with Manuel from her. Benni didn't intend to keep the secret from her, but it's best to have the secret kept with minimal people as possible. It's been 6 months after their relationship has gone public. Benni is initially surprised by the fan reactions. He couldn't believe that the fans would accept him and love him as much as they love Manuel. Sure, there are haters every now and then but that couldn't be avoided. You can't make everyone like you. But most of the fans are on Benni's side, especially when a group of people from Benni's blog followers found out about his identity. Maybe it was Benni's humble and down to earth nature that wins the public vote. Benni feels lucky as he didn't really suffer death threats like some of the footballers girlfriends do. And Manuel often protects him from those nasty paparazzi. The couple still remains very low key and live a private life. Benni feels happy and free now as he could be closer to Manuel now. They are living under the same roof and he's also working in Manuel's kids foundation, which gives him more freedom and meaningful things to do instead of the boring job he had previously. 

 

Manuel closes his eyes and smile. Finally. Finally, the match has ended. All those hard work he spent is worthwhile. Manuel has been focusing on his career in the last few months for the world cup. The training in the camp in intense and the pressure from his hometown is extreme. He didn't get to see Benni as much as he liked to, mostly communicate through phone and messages. Now he's glad that all the madness is over. He's glad that he gets the happy ending.

 

Manuel signals Benni to come down. Benni walks down to the pitch, squeezing through the enormous loud crowd in the process. Everyone is too busy celebrating and didn't bother to let Benni pass. It took Benni quite a while to reach the ground. Manuel takes his hand as soon as he reaches the pitch. Benni smiles to Manuel and presses a kiss to his beau. It is extra special as they get to spend the winning moment together. Manuel takes out the medal from his neck and put it on Benni. Benni takes the medal and carefully reads the wordings embossed 'World Champion FIFA World Cup Brazil'.

 

"Weltmeister. Wir sind Weltmeister.[1]" said Benni with a grin.

 

"Ja." Manuel replied with a wide smile. "So how is Rio?"

 

"Nice. But I wish I have my car here." Benni replied.

 

"You mean my car? And I thought you said you're getting your own car." Manuel teased him.

 

"What's yours are now also mine. So in that sense, it is my car." Benni teased back.

 

Manuel chuckles after listening to Benni's statement and he presses a kiss to Benni. He says

 

"I'm the luckiest man in the world."

 

"No. I am." Benni replied with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Wir sind Weltmeister - "We are world champions" in German
> 
> It's the final chapter! I'm thankful for everyone of you that read and enjoy this fic. This fic meant so much to me and I sincerely thank everyone of you that liked this and also Life Starts After 6pm. I still remember back then I almost scrap this fic and thankfully I didn't. There will be other works coming soon so I hope you all like it as well :)

**Author's Note:**

> Playlist:  
> I'm Feeling You - Michelle Branch & Santana  
> Open Arms - Journey (alternative version: Mariah Carey)  
> Terrified - Katharine McPhee ft. Zachary Levi  
> Say It Again - Marié Digby  
> These Words - Natasha Beddingfield
> 
> I hope you enjoy this story :D
> 
> If you like it please give me a kudos. Share it with your friends. Please tell me anything in the comments and I will try my very best to improve :) Every kudos, comment, subscription and bookmark means the world to me. Thank you :D
> 
> Yeah, you can follow me on [Tumblr](http://fearlesskiki.tumblr.com/) and [join the FBD Book Club!](https://footballblogsdirectory.tumblr.com/post/160746377878/welcome-to-the-fbd-book-club-this-is-a-place-to)


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